l^iE\ 


UGLI 


^^■irtWHi}-'i^l 


.-^■;'-. 


[^^a:*.-.'*-.--  .■'. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

LIBRARY 


THE  WILMER  COLLECTION 

OF  CIVIL  WAR  NO\^ELS 

PRESENTED  BY 

RICHARD  H.  WILMER,  JR. 


.--.c^^^^i 


THE  LITTLE   BUGLER 


l^ootCQ- 


1 


ILLUSTRAT^IONS  BY  J.  H.  FRY. 


SAINr    LOUIS: 

G.    I.    JONES    &    COMPANY. 

1880. 


Entered  according  to  an  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  18S0,  by 

G.  I.  JOXES  &  COMPANY, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


TO   THE 

SOUTHERN    PEOPLE, 

IN     GRATEFUL     HEMEMBKANCE     OF    THEIR    KIND    HOSPITALITY, 
THIS    LITTLK    BOOK    IS    DEDICATED 

BY 

THE    AUTHOK. 
Boston,  April,  18S(>. 


603218 


THE  LITTLE   BUGLER. 


CHAPTER    I. 


I  was  about  fifteen  years  old  when  the  war  broke 
out,  in  the  spring  of  1861.  My  only  brother  had 
been  educated  at  We.st  Point,  and  was  given  a  com- 
mission in  a  volunteer  resriment.  His  leavino-  home 
for  the  three  months'  service  was  the  first  event  that 
made  the  war  seem  real  to  me.  That  was  a  pretty 
gloomy  time  in  our  little  family.  Mother  and  sister 
were  very  sad  ;  still,  they  did  not  urge  my  brother  to 
remain  at  home,  for  they  knew  that  he  had  been 
educated  for  the  army,  and  the  nation  was  in  great 
need  of  trained  soldiers.  Of  course,  it  grieved  us 
all  to  think  of  the  many  perils  to  w^hich  he  would 
be  exposed ;  but  at  the  same  time  I  could  see  that 
our  mother  felt  proud  of  her  soldier-boy,  when  he 
bade  us  a  cheerful  good-bye  and  Avas  off  to  the  war. 

In  the  meantime  the  drums  were  sounding  the 


2  THE   LITTLE    BUGLER. 

rub-a-dub-dub  all  over  the  land,  and  soldiers  were 
to  be  seen  marching  through  the  streets  at  all  hours. 
The  people  were  greatly  excited,  and  one  could  hear 
little  else  talked  about  save  the  war.  I  saw  that 
every  one  was  ready  to  do  honor  to  the  volunteer, 
and  the  young  man  who  remained  at  home  must 
have  felt  that  he  was  held  a  little  below  par  by  the 
3^oung  ladies,  as  lacking  the  personal  courage  to 
face  the  dangers  of  war.  And  some  young  men 
went  into  the  army,  I  fear,  more  to  show  that  they 
were  not  afraid,  and  to  gain  the  admiration  of  the 
ladies,  than  to  serve  their  country.  Men  know  that 
women  everywhere  admire  a  brave  man  and  detest 
a  coward ;  and  a  brave  man  will  do  any  honorable  ^ 
thing  to  gain  the  praise  of  the  lady  he  loves.  It 
was  pretty  hard  for  me  to  give  much  attention  to 
my  books  during  these  stirring  times,  and  I  would 
sometimes  follow  the  soldiers  as  they  marched 
through  the  streets  to  the  sound  of  the  drum,  and 
leave  my  lessons  to  take  care  of  themselves.  This 
neglecting  my  lessons  was  very  wrong,  of  course, 
and  displeased  my  teacher  very  much.  It  also 
grieved  my  mother ;  for  I  had  once  or  twice  stayed 
^way  from  home  all  night  in  camp,  without  letting 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  6 

ray  raother  know  where  I  was.  This  was  very  bad 
conduct  for  one  of  my  age  ;  but  the  attractions  of  the 
camp  made  me  forget  for  the  time,  the  duty  and 
love  which  I  owed  to  my  mother.  Of  course,  I  had 
seen  nothing  of  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  a 
soldier's  life,  but  only  the  merry-making  in  the 
camp,  and  so  I  imagined  that  it  was  a  very  fine 
thins:  to  be  a  soldier.  And  as  I  heard  the  sound  of 
the  bugle,  the  roll  of  the  drums,  and  the  lively 
martial  music  of  the  bands,  and  witnessed  the  grand 
display  that  the  soldiers  made  when  on  parade  or 
marching  through  the  streets,  — as  all  these  exciting 
things  poured  in  upon  my  boyish  fancy,  a  passion 
for  the  uniform  and  gay  life  of  a  soldier  took  com- 
plete possession  of  me,  and  I  could  think  of  nothing 
else,  day  or  night.  But  my  youth  made  it  impos- 
sible for  me  to  become  a  regular  soldier.  No  one 
could  be  enlisted  who  was  not  eighteen  years  old, 
and  I  was  not  quite  fifteen.  How  to  overcome  this 
difliculty  was  the  absorbing  question.  At  last, 
without  solving  the  problem,  and  with  no  definite 
plans  in  view,  I  told  my  mother  of  the  passion  that 
was  burning  within  me,  and  of  my  great  desire 
to  serve  my  country  in  some  way  or  other.     She 


4  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

was  inclined  to  take  the  matter  simply  as  a  very 
good  joke,  coming  as  it  did  from  so  small  a  speci- 
men of  the  masculine  gender.  She  kissed  me  and 
fondled  me,  and  laughed  at  me,  and  tried  to  show 
me  the  absurdity  and  utter  impossibility  of  one  of 
my  young  and  tender  growth  attempting,  mucli  less 
enduring,  the  hardships,  the  privations,  and  the 
severe  discipline  of  a  soldier's  life.  But  I  did  not 
feel  so  tender  as  my  mother  represented  me  to  be  ; 
in  fact,  I  felt  that  I  possessed  many  manly  qualities, 
of  which  I  was  justly  —  of  course  not  unduly  — 
proud,  and  was  not  to  be  deterred  from  my  patriotic 
purposes  by  what  I  considered  the  natural  weak- 
ness of  woman.  The  first  term  of  enlistment  had 
expired,  and  my  brother  was  at  home,  aiding  in  re- 
cruiting and  reorganizing  his  regiment  for  the  three 
years'  service.  So  I  determined, —  nothing  daunted 
bv  the  discouraging  words  of  my  mother,  to  ac- 
quaint him  with  my  martial  designs.  To  my  great 
surprise,  he  did  not  consider  it  a  very  serious  matter, 
but  laughingly  said,  "Very  well,  my  young  hero; 
come  with  me  to  the  camp  for  a  few  weeks,  and  I 
will  give  vou  all  you  want  of  a  soldier's  life,  and 
within  a  fortnight  you  will  be  glad  to  return  to 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  0 

your  home,  where  you  may  have  doughnuts,  pud- 
dings, and  other  nice  things  to  eat,  and  a  soft  bed  to 
sleep  in  ;  for  you  will  soon  learn  that  all  of  these 
things  must  be  given  up.  when  one  becomes  a  sol- 
dier. "  Now,  I  was  rather  fond  of  nice  things  to 
eat,  and  a  good  bed  to  sleep  on  ;  still,  the  exciting 
life  of  the  camp  had  fired  my  fancy  too  hot  to  be 
cooled  off  so  easily,  and  so  I  made  a  very  bold 
answer,  to  the  effect  that  I  knew  very  well  soldiers 
could  not  indulge  in  luxuries  of  that  kind,  and  that 
I  was  quite  willing  to  give  all  of  these  things  up  for 
the  good  of  my  country.  Notwithstanding  this 
brave  speech,  my  brother  felt  perfectly  certain  that 
a  fortnight  in  the  camp,  upon  the  hard  fai-e  of  a  sol- 
dier, would  completely  cool  my  patriotic  ardor,  and 
I  would  be  glad  to  return  to  my  comfortable  home, 
where  I  could  have  a  mother  to  care  for  me.  So  it 
was  agreed  that  I  should  live  at  the  camp  with  my 
brother  until  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  the  seat 
of  war,  which  would  not  l)e  for  thirty  days  at  least, 
as  it  would  require  that  time  to  drill  and  discipline 
the  regiment,  preparatory  to  active  service  in  the 
field.  And  so  I  went  for  a  soldier,  in  the  camp  at 
home,  where  the  enemy  was  not  very  threatening. 


6  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

and  where  battles  were  not  very  frequent  occur- 
rences. But  at  the  end  of  three  weeks,  in  spite  of 
the  hard  crackers  and  l)acon  which  I  had  to  eat, 
and  the  very  uncomfortable  bed  upon  which  I  had 
to  sleep,  the  patriotic  fire  was  still  burning  in  my 
bosom,  and  I  insisted  that  the  country  was  in  need 
of  my  continued  service.  This  surprised  and  an- 
noyed my  brother,  and  greatly  grieved  my  mother  ; 
for  they  both  felt  that  I  would  become  restless  if  I 
were  put  to  school  again,  and  they  feared  that  in  my 
l)rother's  absence  I  might  follow  the  soldiers  off, 
and  fall  into  idle  and  vicious  habits.  Finally  it  was 
decided  that  as  my  brother  was  an  officer,  he  could 
take  me  with  him,  and  thus  have  a  watch  over  me 
until  I  should  become  dissfusted  with  the  armv  life 
and  return  to  my  home.  It  was  also  arranged  that 
my  brother  was  to  hear  my  lessons  whenever  it  was 
possible,  and  I  agreed  to  study  my  books  two  or 
three  hours  each  day,  which  I  did  pretty  faithfully, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  war  I  was  almost  as  well 
fitted  to  enter  college  as  most  of  the  boys  who  had 
spent  three  years  in  preparatory  schools.  But  it 
was  necessary  that  I  should  do  something  to  make 
myself  believe  that  I  was  a  real,  and  not  a  make- 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  7 

believe,  soldier-boy.  So  my  brother  put  a  bugle 
into  my  IuukI,  and  said,  "  When  you  learn  to  blow 
that,  I  will  have  you  a  uniform  made  and  get  you  a 
horse  to  ride. ' '  ( He  belonged  to  the  cavalry. )  Now, 
this  learnino^'to  blow  the  buo'le  was  what  the  sol- 
diers  would  call  a  poser,  for  I  had  never  attempted 
anything  of  the  kind,  and  had  no  reason  to  think 
that  my  talents  ran  in  that  particular  direction. 
But,  with  the  vision  of  a  gay  uniform  and  a  fine 
prancing  horse  before  me,  I  applied  myself  dili- 
gently, and  after  struggling  very  hard  for  some 
time,  and  wasting  much  wind,  I  at  last  was  able  to 
blow  some  of  the  more  simple  camp-calls,  and  got 
my  uniform,  ornamented  with  golden  tape  and  many 
brass  buttons.  And  now,  with  bugle  swung  round 
my  shoulders,  with  sword  at  my  side,  and  mounted 
upon  a  gaily  caparisoned  charger,  was  getting  as 
much  glory  out  of  life  as  a  youth  of  my  age  could 
imbibe  without  danger  of  an  explosion.  I  am  quite 
sure,  when  I  think  of  it,  that  I  thoroughly  appreci- 
ated my  own  appearance  ;  and  I  w^as  a  great  hero 
already  among  the  boys  and  girls  of  my  acquaint- 
ance, although  I  did  not  carry  the  scars  of  war  nor 
the  marks  of  severe  conflict 


8  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

One  little  girl  in  particular,  I  remember  (Jennie 
Fisk),  looked  upon  me  with  a  sad  kind  of  admira- 
tion, mingled  with  somewhat  of  childish  awe  at  my 
very  warlike  appearance  ;  but  while  she  Avas  charmed 
she  was  pained,  for  she  felt  that  I  could  never  be 
her  little  lover  and  playmate  any  more.  Well,  I 
had  about  a  week  at  home  after  I  got  my  uniform 
and  horse,  before  our  regiment  was  ordered  to  the 
front  for  active  duty.  During  my  stay  at  home 
there  was  a  party  given  in  my  honor  almost  every 
night  by  some  of  my  little  school-fi'iends.  I  always 
wore  my  uniform,  and  was,  I  think  I  can  truly  say, 
a  very  lion  among  the  little  girls. 

But  the  boys  were  not  at  all  jealous  of  me  on  ac- 
count of  this  marked  attention  I  was  receiving,  for 
they  seemed  to  think  that  I  was  a  superior  kind  of 
boy,  and  was  justly  entitled  to  the  unbounded  admi- 
ration of  all ;  and  no  one  thought  of  becoming  my 
rival.  Now,  I  was  as  much  pleased  with  this  gener- 
ous good-will  of  my  bo}^  friends  as  I  was  with  the 
more  flatterino^  admiration  of  the  o'irls.  In  this 
connection  I  would  like  to  say  a  simple  word  to  my 
young  friends.  The  very  best  recommendation  a 
boy  or  girl,  man  or  woman,  can  have  is  the  hearty 


THE   LITTLE   BUGLER.  11 

good- will  of  all  those  of  their  own  sex  and  condition. 
A  modest,  kind,  and  truthful  girl,  let  her  be  never 
so  plain  or  beautiful ,  never  so  rich  or  poor,  will  always 
be  loved  by  other  girls  ;  but  a  proud,  selfish,  or  tale- 
bearing girl  will  be  hated  at  all  times  and   under  all 
circumstances.    A  truthful,  frank,  and  generous  boy 
will  at  all  times  be  a  hero  among  other  boys  ;  but  a 
mean,  boasting,  or  cowardly  fellow  will   always  be 
despised.     But  to  resume  our  story.     The  day  came 
at  last  when  I  had  to  take  leave  of  all  these  happy 
circumstances  and  joyful  associations,  and  go  with  my 
reo-iment  to  face  the   dark  cloud  of  war  that  was 
hovering  over  our  nation.     And  now  I  am  quite 
willing  to  confess  that  my  heart  grew  faint  when  I 
bade  ray   little   school-friends    good-bye,    for   they 
all  shed  tears  at  parting ;  but  when  I  came  to  take 
the  last  loving  kiss  of  my  dear  mother  and  sister, 
whom  I  was  now  to  leave  for  the  first  time  in  my 
life, —  and    it    might    be    forever, —I   completely 
broke  down,  and  cried  like  the  little  boy  that  I  was. 
But  in  spite  of  these  sorrowful  good-byes,  which  all 
the  soldiers  had  to  bid  their  friends  and  loved  ones, 
our  regiment  marched  gaily  through  the  streets,  with 
bands  playing,  flags  flying,  and  horses  prancing  ;  the 


12  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

men  and  women,  boys  and  girls,  cheered  us  from  the 
windows  and  house-tops  as  we  rode  by,  and  we  all 
waved  back  a  soldier's  salute  to  their  shouts  of 
o^ood  cheer,  and  marched  on  throu^rh  the  streets  till 
we  came  to  the  depot  where  we  were  to  take  the 
cars.  Our  horses  were  put  on  a  train  by  them- 
selves, and  we  took  another  one,  and  away  we  rolled 
out  of  the  city,  through  the  fields  and  woods,  on  to 
the  land  of  Dixie. 


CHAPTEK    II. 

We  had  a  very  pleasant  and  exciting  journey,  by 
the  steam-car  and  steamboat,  and  in  ahiiost  every 
village  and  city  through  which  we  passed  we  were 
met  by  the  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls,  with 
roast  chicken,  roast  beef,  hot  coffee,  and  all  kinds 
of  good  things  to  eat ;  and  they  cheered  us,  and  told 
us  that  they  were  sure  we  would  return  with  songs 
of  victor}^  This  was  most  encouraging,  and  it  did 
much  toward  enlivening  our  spirits,  which  had  been 
naturall}^  depressed  with  the  thoughts  of  home  and 
the  loved  ones  behind.  After  travelling  for  three 
days  and  nights,  we  reached  our  immediate  destina- 
tion, and  pitched  our  tents  in  a  beautiful  green 
meadow  upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  River,  in  the 
State  of  Kentucky. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  October  ;  the  weather  was 
fine,  and  the  fields  and  forests  Avere  iust  chan2:in2: 
their  summer  attire  for  their  mellow-tinted  autumnal 
dress.  I  was  charmed  with  the  scenery.  There 
rolled   the   placid  waters  of  **La   Belle   Riviere,'* 

(13) 


14  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

as  the  French  named  the  Ohio.  The  banks  were 
dotted  with  the  white  tents  of  the  army.  Reaching 
to  the  distance  of  two  or  three  miles  were  fertile 
fields,  rolling  pasture-lands,  and  richly  laden  or- 
chards. Stretching  still  further  away,  the  land 
was  lifted  into  broad  plateaus,  which  gradually 
grew  into  rugged  hills  that  faded  away  in  the  dis- 
tant clouds.  This  was  purely  an  agricultural  dis- 
trict, and  the  people  had  been  accustomed  to  nothing 
more  exciting  than  the  quiet  pursuit  of  the  husband- 
man. But  this  quiet  was  now  broken,  and  instead 
of  the  lowing  of  the  cattle,  the  bleating  of  the  sheep, 
and  the  merry  song  of  the  farmer-boy  as  he  drove 
his  team  afield,  were  heard  the  neighing  of  the 
war-horse,  the  stern  command  of  the  officer,  the 
roll  of  the  drums,  and  the  shrill  notes  of  the  bugle, 
as  they  sounded  out  upon  the  morning  air,  calling 
the  soldiers  to  duty.  My  duties,  however,  were 
not  very  exacting,  and  I  was  at  liberty  to  mount 
and  ride  at  will  through  the  vallevs  and  over  the 
hills,  to  the  distance  of  three  or  four  miles,  for  our 
outposts  were  stationed  six  miles  away  from  the 
camp.  So  almost  every  afternoon  I  was  in  the  sad- 
dle, riding  through  the  country,  sometimes  with  my 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  15 

brother,  sometimes  with  the  soldiers,  but  generally 
alone,  as  I  did  not  wish,  when  on  these  excursions, 
to  be  subject  to  the  will  of  another,  and  it  was  not 
considered  dangerous,  as  the  enemy  was  twenty- 
five  miles  away,  and  I  never  rode  beyond  our  lines. 
The  country  people  soon  came  to  know  me,  as  I 
often  stopped  at  their  houses  to  bate  my  horse  and 
get  something  for  myself  to  eat,  for  which  I  of 
course  always  offered  to  pay  them,  but  they  invari- 
ably refused  to  accept  anything  ;  and  I  then  for  the 
first  time  experienced  something  of  the  hospitality 
for  which  the  Southern  people  are  so  justly  cele- 
brated. But  these  people  were  puzzled  to  know 
how  a  little  boy  like  me  could  be  of  any  service  to 
the  army.  This  I  tried  to  make  plain,  and  while 
they  did  not  seem  to  fully  understand  nor  rightly 
appreciate  my  position,  still  they  were  much  inter- 
ested in  everything  I  said.  I  talked  to  them  about 
the  army,  but  I  was  not  long  in  telling  all  I  knew. 
I  could  discourse  more  at  length,  however,  about  the 
city,  the  streets,  and  the  handsome  houses,  the  ele- 
gant churches,  and  other  fine,  large  buildings.  They 
were  also  interested  in  hearing  about  city  life  and 
society,  and  so  I  told  them  about  school,  and  parties, 


16  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

and  theatres,  etc.  I  soon  felt  that  I  was  a  welcome 
visitor  in  the  homes  of  these  people,  and  it  pained 
me  to  think  that  they  were  our  enemies,  and  wished 
and  prayed  for  the  defeat  of  our  army.  But  while 
they  had  only  hatred  for  our  army,  I  was  quite  sure 
they  bore  me  no  ill-will,  and  could  not  be  tempted 
to  do  me  any  harm.  So  I  felt  perfectly  safe,  and  came 
and  went  among  these  kind-hearted  people  with  as 
little  fear  as  I  would  have  felt  in  New  England.  One 
fine  November  morning  (November  weather  in  Ken- 
tucky is  about  the  same  as  October  weather  in  New 
England)  I  mounted  my  horse,  without  as  much  as 
looking  into  a  book,  intending  to  make  a  day  of  it 
among  the  farmers.  After  galloping  about  two 
miles,  I  drew  rein  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Phillips,  a 
farmer,  with  whose  family  I  had  become  quite  famil- 
iarly acquainted.  He  had  three  children,  —  one  girl 
and  two  boys.  Emma,  the  oldest,  was  about  fif- 
teen, Walter  was  thirteen,  and  Willie  was  ten.  I 
found  the  family  all  astir,  with  the  horses  harnessed 
and  hitched  to  the  carriage,  and  the  boys  prepared 
for  a  journey ;  there  was  also  an  old  colored  man, 
who  was  to  attend  them.  I  soon  learned  that  this 
was  a  nutting  expedition,  and  that  Emma  and  an- 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  17 

other  young  miss  who  lived  near  by  were  to  be  of 
the  party.  Of  course  I  was  anxious  to  join  them, 
but  hesitated  on  being  asked  by  the  boys,  for  I 
wished  to  have  an  invitation  direct  from  the  lips  of 
Emma.  Just  then  Emma  called  out  of  the  window, 
**  We  will  be  ready  in  five  minutes.  Uncle  Ben." 
This  was  said  to  the  colored  man  ;  for  it  is  the  kind 
custom  of  Southern  people  to  call  old  negro  men 
and  women  uncle  and  aunt.  The  great  majority  of 
Southern  people  were  always  kind  to  their  slaves, 
and  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  think  that  they  used 
them  as  they  would  brutes.  And  even  to-day  there 
is  more  genuine  personal  good-feeling  among  the 
Southern  people  for  the  negro  than  among  the 
Northern  people.  The  Southern  people  have  been 
brought  up  with  them  ;  they  understand  them  ;  and 
they  really  have  an  affection  for  them  which  the 
Northern  people  have  never  felt.  The  North  loves 
the  idea,  the  principle,  of  equal  rights  to  all,  but  the 
South  has  a  real  love  for  the  individual. 

In  her  glance  from  the  window  Emma  had  just 
caught  a  glimpse  of  me,  as  I  sat  on  my  horse  near 
the  carriage  ;  and  as  she  turned  to  her  companion 
within,  she  exclaimed  in  rather  a  loud  whisper,  not 

2 


18  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

intended  to  be  heard  by  me,  "  Sadie,  if  there  isn't 
the  little  Yankee  soldier  you  have  heard  us  speak 
about.  "  Up  went  the  window  again,  and  Emma 
laughed  out  a  meny  good-morning,  and  hoped  that 
I  would  be  one  of  their  party.  This  was  what  I  was 
waiting  for,  so  I  gladly  accepted  the  invitation  to  go 
with  them.  Sadie  AVoods  was  a  pretty  little  dark- 
eyed  girl  of  about  thirteen  years,  and  I  was  not  long 
in  learning  that  AValter  was  her  accepted  sweetheart, 
and  that  too  much  attention  from  me  would  cause 
him  some  uneasiness,  so  I  directed  my  gallantry 
more  especially  to  Miss  Emma.  Now,  Emma  was  a 
little  older  than  I,  and  was  therefore  a  little 
inclined  to  patronize  me  in  a  way  that  wounded  my 
pride  somewhat,  for  I  felt  myself  perfectly  suitable, 
in  age  and  bearing,  to  act  as  her  escort.  She  had 
also  a  way  of  referring  to  young  men  of  her 
acquaintance  which  irritated  me  not  a  little  ;  for 
she  seemed  to  be  particularly  careful  to  let  me 
know  that  a  bo}^  who  was  not  at  least  seventeen 
years  old  was  altogether  too  young  to  waste  her 
time  upon.  But,  in  spite  of  this  disparity  of  age 
between  us,  I  could  see  that  she  was  not  displeased 
with  my  attentions,  but  rather  flattered  than  other- 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  19 

wise.  So  I  endeavored  to  make  up  in  manner  what 
I  lacked  iu  age  and  size.  Well,  we  had  a  jolly 
ride  for  the  distance  of  about  three  miles  ;  Emma 
and  I  on  one  seat,  Sadie  and  the  hoys  on  another, 
and  uncle  Ben  in  front.  I  had  given  my  horse  into 
the  care  of  uncle  Ben's  boy,  little  black  Jake,  who 
brought  up  the  rear.  We  halted  on  a  hill  overlook- 
ing the  camp  in  the  valley  below,  and  could  see  a 
regiment  which  was  just  forming  in  line  and  getting 
ready  for  drill.  We  stood  and  watched  the  soldiers 
go  through  several  maneuvres,  but  we  were  too  far 
away  to  get  much  satisfaction  from  the  sight ;  so  we 
turned  to  the  woods,  on  the  lookout  after  chestnuts. 
Our  party  divided  on  entering  the  woods,  with  the 
aorreement  that  we  were  not  to  2:0  l^evond  cidlinof 
distance  of  one  another.  Emma  and  I  started  off  in 
one  direction,  and  Sadie  and  the  boys  in  another, 
while  uncle  Ben  and  little  Jake  were  to  remain  with 
the  horses  and  carriage,  and  we  were  all  to  meet  for 
luncheon  at  about  one  o'clock.  We  Avere  not  lomr 
in  finding  chestnuts,  but  I  was  at  a  loss  to  know 
how  to  gather  them,  as  this  was  the  first  time  I  had 
ever  gone  hunting  for  them.  Now,  Emma  was  too 
glad  to  show  me  how  they  were  to  be  beaten  off  the 
trees  with  sticks,  which  I  quickly  cut  for  that  jDur- 


20  THE   LITTLE    BUGLER. 

jDOse.  I  insisted  that  she  must  aWow  me  to  do  all 
the  climbiiio^  and  beatina*,  but  this  she  would  not 
consent  to  do,  for  she  saw  very  plainly  tliat  she 
could  excel  me  in  these  matters,  and  was  bent  on 
making  me  feel  it.  Now,  it  was  very  mortifying  for 
me  to  be  outdone  by  a  girl,  and  I  put  forth  every 
power  that  I  could  muster,  but  was  still  doomed  to 
defeat.  Emma  greatly  enjoyed  my  humiliation,  and 
talked  down  to  me  in  a  way  that  was  very  crushing 
to  my  military  pride.  AVe  had  trudged  on  from 
tree  to  tree,  gathering  a  few  chestnuts  here  and  a 
few  there,  until  we  came  to  a  large  tree,  richly 
laden  with  choice  chestnuts.  Emma  proposed 
that  we  should  sit  down  and  have  a  little  talk, 
before  attacking  its  branches  with  our  sticks.  "  Do 
you  know,  "  said  Emma,  "  that  I  feel  very  sorry  for 
3^our  brother  and  the  other  Yankee  soldiers  who 
have  come  down  here  to  fight  us,  for  they  will  get 
terribly  beaten  by  the  Southern  boys.  Fred  Austin 
told  me,  the  last  time  he  was  at  our  house,  how  he 
intended  to  make  the  Yankees  scatter  when  he  met 
them  in  battle.  ' '  Now,  this  Fred  Austin  I  supposed 
to  be  one  of  Emma's  admirers,  as  I  had  heard  him 
spoken  of  more  than  once  by  her.  He  was  about 
eighteen   years  old,  and  had  joined  the    Southern 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  23 

army  a  few  days  before  our  army  arrived  at  this 
camp.  I  determined  to  give  tliis  young  Soutliern 
cavalier  one  shot  at  least,  and  at  the  same  time  prick 
Emma  just  a  little.  *'  I  should  think,  from  what  you 
say  of  this  Mr.  Austin,"  said  I,  "  that  he  is  a  brag- 
ging jack,  who  fights  all  his  battles  with  words,  at 
very  long  range,  and  will  avoid  a  meeting  with  the 
Yankees  so  long  as  possible."  Emma  colored  up  a 
little  at  this  speech,  which  was  delivered  with  some 
warmth,  but  she  did  not  make  an  angry  retort,  for 
she  felt  that  I  had  been  justly  provoked  to  say  what 
I  had  said.  *' Well,  we  will  leave  the  fighting  to 
the  soldiers,''  she  said,  "  and  you  and  I  will  go  on 
gathering  chestnuts.  "  Now  this  seemingly  pacific 
speech  of  Emma's  was  not  without  a  sting,  for  it 
implied  that  /  was  no  soldier,  —  an  implication  to 
which  I  was  peculiarly  sensitive,  and  quick  to  resent 
under  most  circumstances,  but  Emma  had  put  it  so 
skilfully  that  I  could  do  nothing  but  hold  my 
tongue.  She  saw  that  the  arrow  liad  struck,  and 
was  content  to  leave  it  so.  After  a  brief  consulta- 
tion, it  was  thought  best  to  get  the  party  all 
together  before  attempting  to  strip  the  tree  of  its 
chestnuts,  for  it  was  a  large  one,  and  would  supply 
us  with  all  the  chestnuts  Ave  desired.     Two  or  three 


24  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

calls  brought  Sadie  and  the  boys  to  where  we  were, 
and  we  began  a  general  assault  upon  the  tree.  It 
required  a  pretty  expert  climber  to  ascend  this  tree, 
as  its  trunk  was  large  and  the  limbs  were  beyond 
our  reach  from  the  ground.  I  found  it  necessar}^  to 
remove  my  boots,  as  I  was  not  going  to  let  the 
other  boys  beat  me  climbing.  Emma  offered  to 
boost  me  to  the  first  limb,  and  then  I  felt  quite  sure 
that  I  could  go  as  near  the  top  and  as  far  out  on 
the  branches  as  either  of  the  other  boys.  Now, 
Emma  was  determined  to  test  my  courage  in  climb- 
ing ;  so  she  suggested  that  the  chestnuts  at  the  top 
of  the  tree  were  the  ripest,  and  could  be  more  easily 
beaten  off.  So  up  I  went,  hand-over-hand,  until  I 
could  hardly  be  seen  from  below  through  the  foliage 
of  the  tree.  I  laid  my  stick  about  me  with  a  will, 
and  the  chestnuts  rattled  down  in  showers  to  the 
o:round.  The  orirls  shouted  "Well  done,"  and  I 
paused  to  take  breath.  The  tree  was  near  the  top 
of  a  hill,  and  as  I  looked  below  and  to  the  right,  I 
could  see  a  small  plateau,  with  a  stately  mansion 
situated  near  the  centre.  There  were  also  a  great 
number  of  small  buildings  about  a  third  of  a  mile 
away  from  this  dwelling,  and  I  had  learned  enough 
about  the  South  to  know  that  these  buildings  were  the 


THE   LITTLE   BUGLER.  25 

negro-quarters  ;  and  their  number  indicated  that  the 
owner  of  the  mansion  must  be  a  very  wealthy  gentle- 
man. *'  Who  lives  in  that  elegant  old  mansion  down 
to  the  right?  "  I  called  down  to  Emma.  *'  That  is 
the  residence  of  Col.  Graves,  "  she  answered  back. 
*'He  is  the  richest  man  in  this  county.  He  owns  a 
great  deal  of  land  in  this  community,  and  has  also  a 
large  plantation  in  Louisiana.  He  had  a  great 
many  negroes  before  the  war  began,  but  many  of 
them  have  run  away  since  the  Yankee  army  came 
here.  "  **  Is  he  a  colonel  in  the  rebel  army  ?  "  I  in- 
quired. Now  I  knew  that  this  word  * '  rebel ' '  was  not 
pleasing  to  Emma,  but  I  was  not  inclined  to  be  very 
conciliating  just  then  ;  besides,  I  knew  that  the  word 
'*  Yankee  "  was  used  as  a  term  of  reproach  for  our 
army,  so  I  thought  I  would  pay  her  back  in  her  own 
coin.  To  this  she  could  not  object,  so  she  answered, 
**No;  Col.  Graves  is  too  old  to  go  to  the  war 
himself,  but  he  has  two  sons  with  Gen.  Buckner's 
army  at  Bowling  Green."  "  If  he  has  never  been 
to  war,  why  do  they  call  him  colonel?  "  I  inquired. 
*'I  don't  know  why,"  said  Emma,  **but  I  have 
always  heard  him  called  Col.  Graves."  I  learned 
afterwards  that  it  was  a  polite  custom  among  the 
Southern  people  to   call  a  wealthy  and   honorable 


2f5  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

gentleman  by  the  title  of  captain,  major,  or  colonel. 
This  conversation  was  carried  on  in  rather  a  loud 
voice,  as  Emma  was  on  the  ground  and  I  was  high 
up  in  the  tree.  In  looking  over  the  valley  below,  I 
fell  to  thinking  of  Col.  Graves,  and  his  two  sons  in 
Gen.  Buckner's  army;  and  then  my  eyes  rested 
upon  his  stately  mansion,  and  my  imagination 
entered  it  and  went  sailino:  about  throus^h  the  wide 
halls  and  spacious  chambers,  and  I  wondered  if 
there  were  any  boys  and  girls  in  this  dignified  old 
house.  Giving  my  mind  up  to  these  thoughts,  I 
almost  forgot  that  I  was  in  the  top  of  a  tree,  and 
became  careless  as  to  the  security  of  my  position. 
Just  then  Walter  struck  the  branch  upon  which  I 
was  standing,  with  his  stick,  and  down  I  went  thump 
upon  the  ground.  I  caught  once  or  twice  to  the 
limbs  in  my  descent,  which  lightened  the  fall  very 
much  ;  otherwise  I  might  have  had  my  head  broken, 
and  thus  ingloriously  ended  my  military  career. 
As  it  was,  I  was  quite  seriously  hurt,  and  unable  to 
rise  from  the  ground.  The  young  folks  were  all 
greatly  scared  and  excited,  and  hardly  knew  what 
to  do.  Uncle  Ben  was  summoned,  and  quickly 
decided  to  send  to  Col.  Graves  for  assistance. 
Little  Jake  was  dispatched  upon  this  errand,  and  in 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  27 

about  thirty  minutes  returned  with  an  elderly 
gentleman  and  two  colored  men.  I  was  taken  upon 
the  shoulders  of  these  negroes,  and  carried  to  the 
**  stately  mansion"  whicli  I  had  been  admiring 
but  a  few  moments  l)efore  from  the  tree-top. 

A  physician  was  soon  called  in,  and  it  was  found 
that  my  collar-bone  was  broken,  and  that  I  was  con- 
siderably bruised  in  several  other  places.  Mrs. 
Graves,  very  kindly  and  firmly,  decided  that  I  could 
not  be  removed  from  her  house  until  I  had  com- 
pletely recovered  from  all  my  injuries.  A  messen- 
ger was  sent  to  my  brother  with  the  following 
note : — 

Major  Monroe. 

Dear  Sir  :  A  boy  wearing  the  uniform  of  a  bugler, 
whom  I  understand  is  j^our  brother,  while  nutting  near 
my  residence  with  a  party  of  children,  fell  from  a  tree 
and  sustained  injuries  which  will  prevent  his  removal  for 
at  least  one  week.  I  can  assure  3^ou  that  he  will  have  the 
best  of  medical  treatment,  and  the  kindest  attention  from 
myself  and  family-.  We  also  extend  to  3^ou  the  most 
hearty  invitation  to  accept  our  hospitalities,  that  you  may 
be  with  your  brother  until  his  bruises  are  entirely  healed. 

I  am,  sir,  most  sincerely  and  cordially  yours, 

Christopher  Graves. 

This  note  considerably  alarmed  my  brother.  He 
mounted  his  horse  without  delay,  and  was  soon  at 


28  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

mv  bedside.  But,  not  willins:  to  trust  the  case  to  a 
strange  doctor,  he  brought  our  reghnental  surgeon 
with  him,  who,  with  the  assistance  of  the  other  doc- 
tor, soon  set  the  broken  bone,  and  predicted  a  speedy 
recovery.  Now,  I  was  perfectly  conscious  all  the 
while,  and  suffered  a  great  deal  of  pain,  but  I  did 
not  forget  my  position  as  a  soldier,  and  I  knew  that 
it  would  be  very  unsoldier-like  for  me  to  give  way 
to  pain,  and  exhibit  the  weakness  of  ordinary  people. 
So  I  bore  up  stoutly  under  the  pain  which  attended 
the  setting  of  the  bone,  and  did  not  cry  nor  com- 
plain. There  were  two  words,  however,  that  were 
constantly  upon  my  tongue,  struggling  for  utter- 
ance, and  these  words  were  ''  home  "  and  "  mother." 
The  good  Mrs.  Graves  would  sit  by  my  bedside  for 
hours  at  a  time,  and  while  her  kind  and  gentle  at- 
tentions were  very  soothing,  still  her  presence  in 
my  chamber  made  me  feel  sad,  for  she  reminded 
me  continually  of  my  own  mother,  Avho  was  far 
away  in  Xew  England.  My  brother  slept  near  me, 
and  did  everything  in  his  power  to  relieve  my  pain 
and  cheer  me  up.  He  had  written  to  our  mother 
about  the  accident,  but  had  put  it  in  so  mild  a  way 
that  it  gave  her  no  particular  concern  about  my  re- 
covery.    Her   letters    were    always    cheerful,    and 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  29 

usually  contained  some  kind  words  to  me  from  my 
little  school-friends,  who  inquired  every  day  about 
me.  I  had  been  in  my  bed  for  three  days,  and  was 
getting  to  feel  pretty  comfortable,  when  I  received 
the  following  letter  by  the  hand  of  little  black 
Jake : — 

Dear  George  :  We  were  all  terribly  frightened  when 
you  fell  from  the  tree,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  Uncle 
Ben  I  don't  know  what  we  wonld  have  done.  Walter  is 
very  sorry,  and  has  grieved  a  great  deal  to  think  that  he 
was  the  cause  of  your  fall.  But  of  course  you  know  that 
he  did  not  mean  to  do  it,  and  yon  will  not  think  hard  of 
him.  I  am  also  sorry  that  I  tallied  so  provokingly  to 
you  that  day ;  but  I  only  wanted  to  have  a  little  fun,  you 
know,  and  did  not  mean  to  hurt  your  feelings,  so  I  hope 
you  will  forgive  me.  I  suppose  you  have  seen  Annie 
Belle  Lee,  for  she  lives  at  Col.  Graves's  house.  Do  you 
think  she  is  pretty  ?  Most  people  do  ;  but  for  Uly  part  I 
prefer  dark  hair  and  eyes,  and  she  has  blue  eyes  and  light 
hair, — some  call  it  red.  We  have  hulled  the  cliestnuts, 
but  -will  not  roast  them  until  you  can  be  with  us.  We  all 
send  our  love  (Sadie  too),  and  hope  that  you  will  soon  be 
able  to  visit  us  again. 

Your  friend, 

ExMMA  Phillips. 

This  letter  pleased  me  and  excited  my  curiosity, 
and  I  was  very  anxious  to  see  this  little  blue-eyed 
beauty.     I  had    always    been  partial   toward   blue 


30  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

eyes  and  light  hair ;  for  the  reason,  I  suppose,  that 
my  hair  and  eyes  were  just  the  opposite.  I  now,  for 
the  first  time  during  my  iUness,  became  a  little  rest- 
less, and  began  to  toss  about  in  my  bed.  Old  Aunt 
Coal,  a  very  black  slave,  who  had  the  care  of  my 
chamber,  overheard  this  tossing  as  she  went  al)out 
putting  things  in  order,  and  she  was  afraid  that  I 
would  give  myself  a  set-back.  So  she  began  to 
caution  me,  *'  Lay  still  now,  dat's  a  good  boy,  co's 
de  doctor  said  dat  if  you  moved  about  much  you 
would  keep  de  bone  from  gwine  together." 
**  Thank  you,  Aunt  Coal ;"  said  I,  "  I  know  that  I 
should  be  quiet,  but  it  is  pretty  hard  for  me  to  lay 
here  flat  on  my  back  so  long,  when  everybody  else 
in  the  house  and  at  the  camp  are  up  and  stirring 
about.  Is  there  a  boy  in  the  house.  Aunt  Coal, 
about  my  size?  for  if  there  is,  I  would  like  to  have 
him  come  and  talk  with  me."  The  old  woman 
stopped  her  work,  turned  to  me  with  a  sad  face,  and 
said,  "  No,  Massa  George,  dare  hain't  no  little  boy 
heah,  nor  no  big  boys  neither,  fo'  der  all  gone  off  to 
Massa  Buckner's  army,  and  de  good  old  times  we 
used  to  hab  are  done  gone."  .'*  What  were  those 
good   old  times,    Aunt  Coal?"  I  asked.     The  old 


THE   LITTLE    BUGLER.  31 

black  woman  drew  a  chair  near  my  bed,  and  began : 
'*  I  mean  de  good  old  times  when  massa  and  missis 
and  all  de  young  folks  were  at  home.  When  we 
used  to  hab  de  big  gatherens,  and  de  young  gentle- 
men and  de  young  ladies  from  all  around  de 
country  and  de  city  would  come  heah  and  frolic  and 
make  love  Avid  each  other  fo'  days  and  weeks  at  a 
time  ;  and  de  niggers  would  sing  and  dance,  and 
pat  juber  fo'  dem  all,  and  we  would  all  be  happy 
together.  But  dat's  all  done  gone  now,"  sighed 
the  old  woman.  **  De  men  hab  all  gone  to  the  wa* 
'cept  de  old  worn-out  ones,  and  der  wives  and  der 
sweetha'ts  are  not  happy  any  mo  '  ;  and  de  niggers 
der  runnin'  away  and  leaben  massa,  and  de  Yankee 
army  is  heah,  so  massa  can't  go  after  'em  and  fetch 
'em  back."  "But,  Aunt  Coal,"  said  I,  **the 
Yankee  army  is  going  to  make  all  you  colored 
people  free,  so  that  you  can  go  where  you  like  and 
be  your  own  masters."  My  speech,  instead  of  de- 
lighting the  old  woman,  as  I  had  expected  it  would, 
terrified  her  very  much.  "Oh,  de  Lord  hab 
mercy  !"  she  exclaimed,  "  der  not  gwine  to  take  me 
away  from  old  massa  and  missus,  is  dar?  AVhat  will 
dis  old  nigger  do  ?     I  have  always  libed  heah  in  dis 


32  THE   LITTLE   BUGLER. 

house  ;  I  have  been  wid  missus  eber  since  she  was 
born  ;  I  hab  nursed  her  and  all  ob  de  dear  children  ; 
and  dey  was  always  so  kind  and  good  to  me,  and 
now  if  de  Yankees  go  and  take  me  away  from  de  old 
home  it  will  kill  dis  old  nigger.  I  knows  it  will." 
It  almost  made  me  cry  to  hear  the  old  woman  talk 
with  so  much  feeling  and  affection  for  her  master 
and  mistress.  I  was  quick  to  assure  her  that  she 
need  never  leave  them  if  she  did  not  wish  to.  Her 
sleek,  black  face  brightened  up  at  this,  and  she  said, 
in  very  grateful  tones,  "  De  Lo'd  bless  you,  Massa 
George,  for  tellen  me  dat,  for  it  makes  dis  old 
black  heart  happy  once  mo',  to  think  dat  I  may  lib 
and  die  wid  old  massa  and  missus."  I  bescan  to 
think  that  the  slave-holders  were  not  all  monsters, 
at  least.  *' Aunt  Coal,  you  said,  I  believe,  that 
there  were  no  men  nor  boys  in  this  house  except 
Col.  Graves."  *'Dar's  one  old  man  here  beside 
Massa  Graves,  but  I  didn't  think  it  worth  while  to 
mention  him,  fo'  he  is  done  worn-out,  and  han't  fit 
for  nuffen  mo'."  "But  are  there  any  young  ladies 
in  the  family?"  I  inquired.  I  felt  a  little  timid 
about  asking  directly  concerning  Annie  Bell,  and 
thought  that  I  would  come  to  the  point  by  degrees, 


"WHAi'    VVi.liE  THObi:   GUUi>  (JLD  TiilESj,  xiLMT   COAL 


(33) 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  35 

and  was  in  hopes  that  this  question  wouhl  open  up 
a  conversation  in  which  Aunt  Coal  wouhl  mention 
the  little  girl,  aucl  thus  I  could  have  some  excuse 
for  inquiring  about  her  and  asking  her  to  visit  me. 
"Yes,  der  is  two  young  ladies  in  de  family,"  she 
said  ;  *'der  is  Missus  Lee,  who  is  a  widder,  and  der 
is  Miss  Josephine,  who  is  de  sister-in-law  of  Missus 
Lee.  She  is  near  to  eighteen  years  old,  and  is  a 
beauty,  I  can  tell  you."  "  How  long  has  Mrs. 
Lee  been  a  widow?"  I  asked.  "It  was  ten  years 
last  water-melon  time  since  Massa  Lee  died  ob 
yaller  feber  in  NeAV  Orleans.  Den  Missus  Lee 
came  back  home  to  lib  wid  her  fader  and  moder." 
And  here  the  old  woman  stopped,  with  the  feeling, 
no  doubt,  that  she  had  told  me  all  I  wished  to  know 
about  the  family.  I  waited,  hoping  that  she  would 
continue,  but  I  saw  that  she  had  nothing  more  to  say 
unless  I  had  more  questions  to  ask.  "  I  suppose 
that  Mrs.  Lee  is  very  lonely,"  said  I.  "  Yes,  she  is 
so,"  simply  responded  the  old  woman.  I  saw  that 
I  would  be  obliged  to  lead  more  directly  to  the  point 
for  which  I  was  aiming,  so  I  asked,  "  Has  Mrs. 
Lee  no  children  to  comfort  her?  "  "  Yes,  she  has 
one  ;  but  I  don't  know  that  she  is  any  great  comfort 


36  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

to  her.  "  *'0h,  she  has  one  child  then,  has  she, 
and  that  is  a  girl?"  I  said,  in  a  careless  manner. 
"Yes  ;  jMiss  Annie  Bell  is  a  wild  girl,  and  gibs  old 
Aunt  Coal  a  good  deal  ob  trouble."  "  Her  name 
is  Annie  Belle,  then.  How  old  is  she?"  I  ven- 
tured to  ask.  "  Let  me  see,"  said  the  old  woman, 
putting  her  arms  akimbo  and  assuming  a  very 
thoughtful  air.  '  *  She  will  be  fourteen  years  old  when 
persimmons  are  well  ripe,  fo'  her  mother  was  heah 
when  she  was  born,  and  I  remember  that  my  black 
boy  Sam  brought  in  a  lot  of  persimmons  on  dat 
very  day."  This  was  as  far  as  I  thought  proper  to 
go  into  the  family  affairs,  so  I  allowed  Aunt  Coal  to 
leave  my  chamber  without  any  further  questions.  I 
lay  for  sometime  thinking  over  what  the  old  black 
woman  had  told  me,  and  gradually  drifted  off  into  a 
quiet  sleep. 


CHAPTER    III. 

On  the  sixth  day  after  my  accident,  I  was  per- 
mitted to  sit  up  and  receive  visitors.  Ahnost  the 
first  who  called  to  see  me  was  *'  the  sergeant,"  as 
I  afterwards  learned  to  call  him.  He  was  a  man 
about  sixty  years  old,  and  was  lame  from  a  wound 
he  had  received  in  the  Mexican  War.  He  was  a  re- 
mote relation  of  Mrs.  Graves,  and  had  been  livinir 
upon  the  bounty  of  Col.  Graves  ever  since  his  re- 
turn from  the  war.     It  is  one  of  the  admirable  thinsrs 

o 

about  the  Southern  people  that  they  will  stick  to 
their  kin  through  every  kind  of  misfortune,  and  even 
disgrace,  and  treat  them  at  all  times  with  the  kind- 
est consideration.  So  the  sergeant  was  never  made 
to  feel  his  dependent  condition  ;  but,  on  the  contrarv, 
in  view  of  his  age  and  service  in  the  Mexican  War, 
he  was  allowed  special  privileges,  and  his  opinion 
on  any  subject  he  chose  to  discuss  was  always  lis- 
tened to  with  marked  attention  and  respect,  and  He 
never  for  an  instant  doubted  but  that  he  was  as 
much  entitled  to  what  he  was  receiving  as  any  other 

3  (37) 


38  THE    LITTLE    BCGLER. 

member  of  the  family.  I  wiis  ji  little  surprised,  at 
first,  when  I  saw  him  come  liiii[)ing  through  the 
hall,  as  I  inferred  from  what  Aunt  Coal  had 
told  me  that  Col.  Graves  was  the  only  white  man  in 
the  family  ;  l)ut  I  then  remembered  that  she  had 
added,  "  'cept  de  done  worn-out  ones,"  and  I  was 
quite  certain  that  my  visitor  belonged  to  the  "  done 
worn-out''  class.  I  was  sitting  in  an  easy  chah* 
when  he  entered.  He  stopped,  looked  at  me  for  a 
moment,  and  quickly  brought  his  cane  to  a  "carry," 
and  then  to  a  "present  arms."  He  then  began 
again,  and  went  through  the  complete  manual  of 
arms,  ending  with  a  grand  military  salute,  which,  as 
his  inspecting  officer,  I  arose  and  returncLl,  and  com- 
manded him  to  "  rest  at  will."  The  old  veteran 
seemed  surprised  and  pleased  at  the  military  aptness 
of  the  raw  recruit,  and  he  extended  his  hand  as  a 
token  of  fellowship.  He  sat  down,  scanned  me  from 
head  to  foot,  and  from  foot  to  head,  for  almost  one 
minute  before  speaking,  and  then  began  :  "I  am  an 
old  soldier  ;  I  was  all  throuirh  the  Mexican  War  with 
Gens.  Scott  and  Taylor.  I  have  seen  a  great  manv 
soldiers,  of  all  kinds  and  sizes,  in  my  time,  but  I'll 
be  court-martialed  if  you  ain't  the  smallest  speci- 


5'HK    LITTLE    HUGLER.  39 

men  to  wear  a  uniform  that  ever  I  clapped  eyes  on. 
The  Yankees  must  be  hard  up  for  soldiers  to  send 
such  as  you  down  here  to  be  shot  at."  The  sergeant 
had  touched  my  sensitive  nerve,  and  I  was  on  the 
point  of  making  a  pretty  saucy  reply,  but  his  gray 
hairs  and  maimed  condition  checked  its  utterance, 
and  I  simply  said,  "  I  remember  that  Napoleon  was 
laughed  at  on  account  of  his  youth  and  small  stat- 
ure." "  So  he  was,  —  so  he  was,"  replied  the  ser- 
geant. "  I  did  not  mean  to  wound  you,  and  I  accept 
the  rebuke.  It  is  not  asce  nor  size  that  makes  the 
true  soldier,  but  courage, — and  you  may  have  as 
much  of  that  as  any  man,  for  all  I  know.  But  you 
must  admit  that  you  are  rather  a  small  target  for  a 
musket-ball ;  and  besides,  I  doubt  whether  our  boys 
would  think  it  worth  their  while  to  waste  powder 
and  lead  on  such  small  game."  <'A11  the  better  for 
me  if  they  don't,"  I  responded.  *'  You  seem  to  take 
a  joke  pretty  well,"  said  the  sergeant,  *'  and  I  don't 
see  what's  to  hinder  our  becomins:  oood  friends.  I 
was  just  thinking  that  you  and  I  together  would 
make  one  complete  soldier,  —  you  the  beginning  and 
I  the  end,  —  and  the  ends,  you  know,  always  include 
the  middle."     ''  But  I  am  afraid  that  neither  end  is 


40  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

a])le  just  now  for  duty,  for  Ave  l)oth  helong  to  the 
invalid  corps,  and  I  am  not  likely  to  do  much  more 
active  service  during  this  campaign.  I  suppose," 
said  I,  "  that  if  both  ends  were  ahle  for  duty  they 
could  not  agree,  hut  woukl  try  to  destroy  each  other, 
as  I  am  for  the  Union  and  you  are  against  it."  "I 
had  not  thought  of  that,"  said  the  sergeant  ;  "  but 
as  it  is,  we  will  both  remain,  for  a  time  at  least,  non- 
combatants.  And  now  I  want  you  to  tell  me  where 
your  home  is,  and  how  you  came  to  be  with  the 
army . ' '  * '  ^ly  home  i s  i n  Boston , "  I  rather  proudly 
answered.  He  straightened  himself  up  at  the  sound 
of  Boston,  and  looked  more  surprised  than  ever; 
whether  in  anger,  or  not,  I  was  unable  to  determine. 
**  Do  you  really  live  in  that  hotbed  of  Abolitionists  ; 
and  did  you  ever  see  those  negro-thieves.  Garrison, 
Phillips,  and  Parker?  "  "I  have  heard  Mr.  Parker 
preach,  and  have  seen  Mr.  Garrison  and  Mr.  Phillips 
quite  often,"  I  answered.  ' '  Well,  do  yon  know  that 
I  should  like,  of  all  things,  to  have  a  hold  of  one 
end  of  a  good  strong  rope  with  the  other  end  around 
the  necks  of  those  rascals."  *'  I  don't  see  that  any 
great  harm  would  come  to  them  from  that,"  I  re- 
plied;  "because    you    are    not    a    very    large    nor 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  41 

weighty  man,  and  could  not  possibly  draw  up  all 
three  of  these  men  at  once."  "  Perhaps  not,  per- 
haps not,"  said  the  sergeant ;  ''  hut  I  think  I  could 
manage  them  one  at  a  time,  eh?"  ''  You  might,  if 
they  consented  to  have  you  do  it,  and  made  no  re- 
sistance," I  said  ;  *'  but  even  in  that  case  I  think  you 
would  require  one  or  two  other  rebels  to  assist  you." 
*'  Oho  !  you  call  me  a  rebel,  do  you?  Well,  I  sup- 
pose I  am,  I  suppose  I  am ;  but  do  ^^ou  know  I 
don't  like  that  word  '  rebel '  a  bit.  All  my  soldier 
days  were  spent  in  the  service  of  the  Union,  and  un- 
der the  stars  and  stripes,  and  I  don't  like  to  think 
of  our  boys  fighting  against  the  old  flag ;  but  of 
course  this  is  all  a  notion,  — an  old  soldier's  notion  ; 
still,  I  can't  forget  how  beautiful  the  flag  looked  as 
it  led  the  charge  in  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista, 
where  I  was  wounded  as  you  see.  I  glory  in  war 
when  it  is  waged  against  a  common  enemy  and  in  a 
righteous  cause  ;  but  this  thing  of  civil  war,  this 
thing  of  the  American  people  fighting  one  another, 
I  don't  care  so  much  about.  I  have  fought  side  bv 
side  with  Yankee  soldiers,  and  know  Avhat  kind  of 
metal  they  are  made  of;  so  I  tell  our  boys  that  they 
will  not  have  such  an   easy  time  of  driving  them 


42  THE    LITTLIO    lUdLER. 

home  as  they  imagine."  "  Our  army  does  not  intend 
to  go  home  until  the  rebellion  is  all  put  down,"  I  an- 
swered. "  You  think  so,  do  you?"  said  the  ser- 
geant. Well,  that's  right,  — that's  the  true  spirit  of  a 
soldier  ;  never  say  fail.  But  still  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  most  of  the  Yankee  soldiers  will  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  a  Christmas  dinner  at  home, —  those  of  them,  I 
mean,  who  are  not  killed  l)y  our  boys  in  the  mean- 
time." "  It  may  be  as  you  say,  and  I  trust  it  Avill  ; 
but  I  fear  that  it  will  take  longer  than  that  time  to 
stop  the  rebellion,  for  they  seem  to  have  got  a  pretty 
good  start."  The  sergeant  smiled  at  this,  and  pro- 
posed that  hostilities  between  us  should  cease  for  the 
present.  "  Then  you  raise  the  white  flag,  do  you  ?  ' ' 
I  asked.  *'Yes,"  replied  the  sergeant,  "but  it  is 
not  a  capitulation,  —  onlv  a  truce  to  give  us  time  to 
bury  our  dead."     AVe  both  laughed  heartily. 

"  But,  now,"  seriously  began  the  sergeant,  "  Old 
Abe  was  a  little  mistaken  if  he  thought  '  the  re- 
bellion," as  you  call  it,  could  be  put  down  in  three 
months.  He'll  lind  that  it  is  not  to  be  stamped  out 
quite  so  quickly,  if  at  all.  The  South  has  for  years 
too  plainly  seen  that  the  North  was  bent  on  destroy- 
ing the  institution  of  slavery,  and  it  has  been  quite 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLEU. 


45 


evident  for  some  time  that  a  separation  of  the  North 
and  South  was  necessary  to  protect  the  rights  of  the 
Southern  people."  "  Then  you  were  preparing  for 
war  some  time  before  it  actually  began,"  I  said. 
*'Yes,"  said  the  sergeant,  "  and  that  is  where  we 
have  the  start  of  you,  and  we  mean  to  keep  it.  But  I 
think  I  am  capa])le  of  doing  justice  to  both  sides,  and 
hope  that  I  am  not  wholly  blinded  to  the  faults  of  the 
Southern  people.  It  is  pretty  hard,  I  know,  espe- 
cially at  this  time,  wdien  war  is  actually  waging,  for 
a  Northern  man  to  do  justice  in  speaking  of  the 
South,  and  vice  versa,  I  suppose  ;  but  as  I  am  a  non- 
combatant,  I  am  more  likely  to  see  the  good  features 
of  both  sections  than  one  who  is  engaged  in  the  strug- 
jrle.  The  North  had  become  somewhat  accustomed 
to  the  wild  and  menacing  threats  of  '  fire-eaters '  of 
the  South,  and  the  Northern  people  could  not  believe 
that  the  South  actually  meant  to  divide  the  Union, 
and  so,  as  I  say,  the  North  w^as  not  prepared  for  war 
when  it  did  really  come  ;  and  even  after  it  came  it  was 
thought  to  be  a  rash,  impetuous  act,  led  on  by  the 
*  fire-eaters,'  which  the  South  would  soon  regret ; 
but  in  this  the  North  has  by  this  time  found  out 
that  it  was  greatly  mistaken.     The  South  fully  con- 


44  THR    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

sidered  before  it  took  the  decisive  step,  tind  its  coun- 
cils and  armies  are  not  led  by  '  fire-eaters,'  but 
by  its  very  best  and  most  capable  men,  and  they 
have  gone  to  work  in  real  earnest  to  separate  from 
the  North  and  establish  an  '  independent  Southern 
Democracy.'  The  South,  on  the  other  hand,  I  think, 
has  also  miscalculated ;  and  some  Southern  people 
are  foolish  enough  to  believe  that  one  Southern  sol- 
dier can  whip  six  Yankees.  The  Northern  youths,  it 
is  true,  have  not  taken  to  the  army  so  much  as  the 
Southern  boys,  and  we  have,  perhaps,  more  trained 
soldiers  than  the  North  has ;  which,  of  course,  is 
greatly  to  our  advantage.  Again,  the  Northern 
representatives  in  Congress  have  not  shown  much 
'  fight,'  but  have  taken  direct  insults  from  Southern 
members  without  resenting  them.  This,  of  course, 
is  not  considered  manly  or  honorable  by  our  South- 
ern '  code ; '  hence  some  Southern  people  have 
jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Northern  people 
are  Licking  in  personal  courage,  and  are  no  match 
for  the  Southern  soldier.  But  I  tell  them  that  the 
Northern  man  lives  in  a  different  atmosphere,  and 
that  his  courage  is  not  to  be  tested  by  the  South- 
ern *  code  ; '  and  I  think  we  are  beginning  to  find 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  45 

that  fact  out,  and  the  sooner  our  people  come  to 
fully  understand  this  the  better.  And  I  am  free  to 
admit  that  thus  far  the  cold-blooded  Northerner 
has  carried  himself  just  as  bravely  as  our  more  hot- 
blooded  Southerners.  And  why  should  it  l)e  other- 
wise? Are  they  not  of  the  same  national  family? 
Did  not  their  fathers  fight  side  by  side  in  the  '  Rev- 
olution,' in  the  War  of  1812,  and  in  the  contest 
with  Mexico  ?  And  what  is  there  in  the  nature  of 
things  to  make  the  man  of  one  section  of  this  coun- 
try more  valiant  than  any  other  ? ' '  The  sergeant  had 
worked  himself  up  to  a  high  state  of  excitement,  and 
I  was  willing  to  leave  the  matter  as  he  had  put  it. 
Aunt  Coal  entered  at  that  moment,  and  I  asked  her 
if  she  would  please  to  do  me  some  slight  service, — 
what  it  was  I  do  not  remember.  *'  Don't  say 
*  please,'"  burst  out  the  sergeant,  ''because  you 
don't  mean  it,  and  one  ought  always  to  say  what 
one  means." 

** Aunt  Coal  is  a  slave,  and  knows  her  place,  and  it 
is  her  business  and  duty  to  do  what  we  please  to 
have  her  do,  and  not  what  she  pleases  to  do.  So 
when  you  want  her  to  do  anything  Avhich  it  is  her 
business  to  do,  always  tell  her  to  do  it,  in  plain  words, 


m-^i 


46  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

without  giving  any  reasons  for  what  you  wish  done, 
or  consulting  her  pleasure  in  the  matter.  Aunt 
Coal  is  a  faithful  old  servant,  and  deserves  very  kind 
treatment ;  but  it  is  no  particular  kindness  to  ask 
her  to  please  do  anything,  when  she  knows  that  her 
pleasure  is  not  really  tliought  of  at  all.  I  believe  in 
plain,  frank  speech  in  dealing  with  every  one  ;  and 
that  is  one  thing  that  I  dislike  about  you  Yankees  : 
it  is  alwa3^s  difficult  to  know  just  what  you  mean, 
for  you  don't  talk  straight  at  the  mark,  but  beat 
around  the  bush  too  much. ' '  As  compared  with  the 
frank,  plain  speech  of  the  Southern  people,  I  felt 
that  the  sergeant's  criticism  was  a  just  one,  and  did 
not  attempt  to  argue  the  point. 

The  seroceant  arose,  went  throuah  the  manual  of 
arms  once  more  with  his  cane,  gave  me  a  final 
salute,  and  marched  out  in  as  srood  order  as  his  asre 
and  lame  leg  would  permit.  Soon  after  this  I  had 
a  visitor  that  I  enjoyed  even  more  than  my  military 
friend  ;  it  was  a  little  girl  wnth  blue  eyes  and  fair 
hair,  and  her  name  was  Annie  Bell  Lee.  She  came 
with  her  mother  and  aunt,  —  Miss  Josie  Lee.  She 
was  very  shy,  and  said  little  to  any  one, — nothing 
to  me.     I  noticed  her  peeping  at  me  once  or  twice, 


"THE   OLD  SEKGEANT. 


triE   LtTtLE    BUGLER.  49 

however,  and  she  caught  me  looking  at  her,  and  we 
both  bhished  a  little.  Now,  to  bo  frank,  —  as  the 
sergeant  would  have  me,  — I  was  dreadfully  smitten 
with  Annie  Bell.  Indeed,  I  was  quite  sure  that  I 
had  never  seen  so  pretty  a  girl  in  all  my  life.  Mrs. 
Lee  thought  that  I  would  be  strong  enough  to  dine 
with  the  family  the  next  day,  and  I  caught  eagerly 
at  the  invitation.  Now,  this  was  to  be  my  first 
appearance  in  the  family  circle,  and  of  course  I  was 
anxious  to  look  and  act  my  very  best,  for  I  knew 
that  I  would  be  under  the  fire  of  all  eyes,  and 
especially  the  blue  ones  of  Annie  Belle.  I  spent 
the  greater  part  of  the  morning  in  burnishing  my 
brass  buttons,  brushing  my  uniform,  and  getting 
myself  up  generally  for  the  occasion,  and  when  the 
dinner-hour  arrived  I  felt  pretty  well  prepared  for 
the  encounter.  I  was  conducted  into  the  dining- 
room  by  Miss  Lee,  and  was  shown  to  a  seat  just  op- 
posite Annie  Belle.  We  did  not  seem  to  take  any 
particular  notice  of  each  other  at  first,  but  after  the 
substantial  part  of  the  dinner  had  been  disposed  of, 
and  the  more  ''  social  course  "  was  brought  on,  the 
conversation  became  very  spirited,  and  I  managed 
to  exchange  a  word  or  two  with  Annie  Belle.     After 


50  «ifi   LITfLE   BUGLER. 

dinner,  Mrs.  Lee  suggested  that  Annie  Belle  might 
show  me  through  the  house,  if  I  felt  strong  enough 
for  the  tour.  I  felt  perfectly  strong  enough,  espe- 
cially considering  who  was  to  be  my  guide.  We 
went  first  to  the  library,  and  spent  some  time  there 
looking  at  the  books.  There  were  very  few  books 
that  I  was  at  all  acquainted  with,  but  those  I  had 
read  I  was  very  careful  to  mention,  and  talked  about 
them  in  a  very  learned  v^ay.  I  meant  to  impress 
Annie  Belle  with  my  learning  as  well  as  my  soldier- 
ly bearing ;  for  to  be  both  a  scholar  and  a  soldier 
was  the  height  of  my  ambition.  I  was  very  dig- 
nified and  formal  at  first,  and  kept  her  in  awe  of 
me.  I  talked  and  acted  in  a  very  manly  way,  but  I 
saw  that  she  was  not  pleased  with  this  ;  so  I  gradu- 
ally came  down  from  my  stilts,  and  talked  to  her  as 
a  little  boy  should  talk  to  a  little  girl,  —  in  a  frank, 
simple,  boyish  fashion.  She  was  greatly  pleased 
with  the  change  in  my  deportment,  and  we  were 
soon  on  easy  terms  w^ith  each  other,  talking  and 
laughing  in  the  most  careless  manner.  The  parlors 
were  large  and  very  richly  furnished,  and  the  walls 
were  hung  with  costly  pictures,  among  which  were 
several  portraits  representing  the  ancestors  of  Col. 


C31) 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  53 

and  Mrs.  Graves.  There  was  also  a  portrait  of 
Annie  Belle's  father,  jDainted  a  short  time  before 
his  death ;  it  showed  him  to  be  a  man  of  about 
twenty-eight  or  thirty.  I  looked  through  the  family 
album,  and  saw  several  gray  uniforms;  among 
others,  Capt.  and  Lieut.  Graves,  sons  of  ni}^  kind 
host  and  hostess.  I  was  truly  interested  in  every- 
thing Annie  Belle  showed  me,  and  expressed  my 
intei'est  in  unmistakable  ways.  This  seemed  to 
delight  her,  and  she  became  very  animated,  and  I 
saw  that  she  was  naturally  a  very  lively  kind  of  a 
girl.  After  we  had  gone  pretty  well  through  the 
line  old  mansion,  we  sat  down  to  rest  upon  a  sofa, 
near  a  window  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  Ohio 
for  a  distance  of  five  or  six  miles.  We  both  sat 
for  a  short  time  looking  at  a  steamboat  paddling  its 
way  up  the  river.  I  broke  the  silence,  and  surprised 
Annie  Belle  by  telling  her  that  I  had  been  in  this 
house  before .  ' '  When  ?  ' '  she  asked.  « «  Just  before 
I  was  brought  here  on  the  shoulders  of  those  colored 
men,"  I  replied.  I  saw  that  she  was  puzzled  to 
know  what  I  meant ;  so  I  told  her  that  when  I  was 
in  the  top  of  the  chestnut  tree  I  saw  this  fine  old 
house,  and  liew  over  here  on  the  wings  of  my  imagi- 


54  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

nation,  and  went  sailing  up  and  down  the  halls  and 
through  the  chambers,  looking  for  boys  and  girls. 
*'And  did  you  see  any?  "  asked  Annie  Belle.  *'  I 
have  forgotten  about  that,"  I  replied  ;  "  for  when  I 
returned  to  my  perch  in  the  tree-top,  I  missed  my 
foothold  and  fell  with  such  a  thump  to  the  ground 
that  it  knocked  evervthins:  out  of  my  fancy  that  I 
had  seen  while  I  was  oyer  here,  and  I  simply 
remembered  of  havins:  made  the  yisit,  and  nothinir 
more.  "  Annie  Belle  understood  me  now,  and 
laughed  heartily.  "  I  belieye  I  must  have  seen 
you,"  she  said,  "  for  there  was  something  flying 
around  through  the  halls  that  day ;  but  Aunt  Coal 
said  it  was  a  bat,  and  so  they  chased  it  out.  " 
*'  But  bats  do  not  fly  around  in  the  daytime,"  I 
responded.  ''  This  one,  "  she  continued,  "  had  been 
in  a  dark  corner,  we  supposed,  and  when  the  blinds 
were  opened  and  the  sunlight  came  in,  the  bat  flew 
out.  "  I  insisted  that  it  would  be  impossible  for 
me  to  assume  such  a  hideous  shape  as  that  of  a  bat, 
and  that  I  thought  it  more  likely  that  I  would  take 
the  form  of  a  bird,  and  if  I  eyer  did  it  again  I 
would  fly  into  her  chamber  and  sins:  to  her.  She 
laughingly    replied    that    she    supposed    I    would 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 


55 


be  a  bljickbird,  for  my  hair  and  eyes  were 
black;  but  she  added,  that  while  the  blackbird 
was  quite  pretty,  it  did  not  have  a  very  sweet  voice, 
so  that  she  would  like  to  have  me  come  in  the 
plumage  of  the  blackbird  but  with  the  voice  of  the 
canary.  I  told  ler  I  would  borrow  all  the  good 
qualities  from  all  the  birds  and  combine  them  in 
one,  Avhen  I  next  visited  her.  She  replied  that  if 
I  did,  she  would  be  certain  to  catch  and  cage 
me,  and  keep  me  in  her  chamber,  where  she 
might  always  see  me  and  hear  me  sing.  I  made 
a  gallant  answer,  to  the  effect  that  nothing  would 
please  me  so  well  as  to  be  tended  by  so  fair  a  keep- 
er, and  that  I  would  sing  to  her  in  my  sweetest 
notes  all  day  long.  I  think  we  both  felt  that  we 
had  orone  far  enouoh  in  a  certain  direction.  There 
now,  you  see  what  a  muss  I  was  getting  myself  into. 
I  had  gone  down  South,  as  I  thought,  to  fight  rebels, 
but  I  was  just  about  to  make  an  unconditional  sur- 
render, without  any  show  of  resistance,  to  one  of 
the  little  rebel  girls.  It  was  understood  between 
us  that  we  should  see  each  other  frequently,  so  long 
as  I  was  in  the  house  at  least ;  and  I  began  to  fear 
that  my  injuries  would  not  make  it  necessary  for  me 


56  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

to  remain  at  Col.  Graves's  much  longer.  So  I  did 
not  feel  quite  so  well  that  evening,  and  Mrs.  Graves 
feared  that  I  had  taken  too  much  exercise,  and 
advised  me  to  be  more  quiet  the  next  day.  When 
my  brother  came,  I  told  him  all  about  my  visit  from 
the  sergeant,  dining  with  the  family,  and  carelessly 
mentioned  the  tour  of  the  house  with  Annie  Belle. 
^ly  brother  had  dined  with  the  family  frequently,  and 
of  course  had  seen  Annie  Belle,  and  agreed  with  me 
that  she  was  quite  pretty  ;  and  when  I  mentioned  her 
name  he  smiled,  and  told  me  that  if  I  was  not  very 
careful  I  would  get  another  fall,  more  serious  per- 
haps than  the  first,  and  from  which  I  might  not  so 
soon  recover,  but  he  hoped  that  no  broken  bones 
would  result.  Of  course  I  knew  what  he  was  hint- 
ing at ;  he  had  not  yet  heard  the  sergeant's  lecture  on 
frankness,  and  still  indulged  the  Yankee  propensity 
for  indirectness.  I  made  no  reply,  for  I  was  quite 
certain  that  the  fall  had  already  occurred.  For  the 
next  two  days  I  kept  pretty  closely  to  my  chamber. 
I  went  out  to  my  meals,  however,  and  was  visited 
by  ever}^  member  of  the  family  except  Col.  Graves, 
who  had  gone  to  Louisville  on  business.  Miss  Josie 
Lee  and  Annie  Belle  came  in   and  spent  the  most  of 


THE    LITTLE    15UGLER.  57 

one  afteriioou  with  me.  Miss  Lee  luid  been 
educated  in  New  Orleans,  had  spent  one  year  in 
Paris,  and  was  a  beautiful  and  accomplished  young 
lady ;  l)ut  she  was  a  great  rebel,  and  hated  the  Yan- 
kees with  all  her  heart.  Almost  every  young  lady 
in  the  South  had  a  brother  or  lover  —  often  both  — 
in  the  Southern  army,  and  it  was  very  natural  for 
them  to  be  bitter  against  the  ' '  Yankee  ' '  army.  It 
proved  that  Capt.  Graves  was  the  accepted  lover  of 
Miss  Lee.  She  denounced  the  Yankee  soldiers  in 
pretty  round  terms  ;  her  denunciations,  however, 
were  so  general  that  they  did  not  irritate  me  in  the 
least.  Miss  Lee  was  too  well  bred,  and  naturally 
too  kind  and  polite,  to  say  anything  that  could  wound 
my  feelings ;  and  she  was  careful  to  make  an  excep- 
tion In  favor  of  my  brother,  whom  she  spoke  of  as 
being  a  gentleman  and  a  scholar,  and  worthy  a 
better  cause  than  that  of  fighting  for  the  freedom  of 
the  negroes,  whose  best  and  happiest  condition  was 
that  of  slavery.  I  was  not  disposed  to  argue  the 
matter  with  ^liss  Lee,  particularly  in  the  presence 
of  Annie  Belle  ;  but  I  told  her  that  I  thought  if  she 
knew  other  Union  soldiers  she  would  change  her 
opinion    of  them,    and   would    like   them   perhaps 


58  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

equjilly  as  well  as  my  ])rother,  for  there  were  a 
great  many  gentlemen  and  scholars  among  them. 
But  she  insisted  that  my  ])rother  was  an  exception, 
and  that  she  did  not  wish  to  extend  her  accjuaint- 
ance  any  further  among  the  Yankee  soldiers  ;  still 
she  hoped  that  the  chance  acquaintance  with  myself 
and  brother,  which  had  been  xery  pleasant  to  the 
whole  family,  would  not  terminate  with  ni}'  illness. 
I  hoped  so  too,  and  so  did  Annie  Belle.  But  the 
mere  possibility  of  my  acquaintance  with  Annie 
Belle  being  brought  to  a  close  so  soon,  made  me 
half  wish  that  my  injuries  had  been  more  severe. 
I  began  now  to  feel  that  war  was  indeed  a  very 
dreadful  thing,  when  it  separated  friends  in  that 
cruel  way.  I  said  that  I  should  be  very  sorry  if  I 
could  not  visit  them  frequently,  for  they  had 
all  been  so  kind  to  me,  and  I  was  sure  that  I  liked 
them  just  as  well  as  if  they  were  all  for  the  Union 
instead  of  secession.  Annie  Belle  said  that  she 
wished  the  war  would  stop,  for  she  did  not  know 
what  it  was  all  about  anyway ;  but  she  thought 
that  my  brother  and  I  were  good  Yankees,  and  did 
not  mean  to  do  much  harm  to  the  South.  But  she 
advised  me  not  to   light  for  the  negroes,  for  they 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 


59 


were  not  worth  fighting  for  ;  and  besides,  I  might 
get  killed,  and  that  would  grieve  my  mother  very 
much.  I  told  her  that  I  had  to  do  my  duty,  now 
that  I  was  in  the  army,  ])ut  that  I  did  not  have  any 
bad  feelings  at  all  toward  the  Southern  people,  and 
hoped  the  time  Avould  soon  come  when  the  North 
and  South  could  be  friends  again,  and  live  together 
as  before  ;  but  until  that  time  should  come,  I  wanted 
to  be  her  friend  just  as  much  as  if  I  was  in  the 
Southern  instead  of  the  Northern  army.  To  this 
she  willingly  consented.  I  suppose  it  was  pretty 
easy  for  Miss  Lee  to  interpret  the  unspoken  com- 
munications that  were  passing  between  Annie  Belle 
and  myself  during  this  conversation.  She  took 
quite  an  interest  in  the  matter,  and  said  that  she  could 
see  no  reason  why  we  should  not  become  the  very 
best  of  friends.  This  Avas  most  encouraging,  and  I 
felt  better  at  that  particular  moment  than  I  had  at 
any  time  since  my  fall.  Miss  Lee  saw  that  her  words 
had  produced  a  happy  effect  upon  us  both  ;  so  she  went 
on  to  say  that  it  was  quite  likely,  if  my  parents 
were  living  in  the  South,  they  would  be  for  secession, 
and  that  if  Col.  Graves  and  family  were  living  in  the 
North  they  would  be  in  favor  of  the  Union  ;  so  that, 
after  all,  our  circumstances  make  us  what  we  are, 


60  THE    I.ITTLE    BUGLER. 

and  we  should  not  think  any  the  less  of  each  other 
because  we  found  our  friends  on  opposite  sides  in 
the  war.  How  kind  and  generous  it  was  of  Miss 
Lee  to  say  this,  Avhen  her  sympathies  were  so  de- 
cidedly Avith  the  Southern  cause.  I  knew  that  she 
said  it  in  order  to  clear  the  way  for  Annie  Belle  and 
me,  and  I  am  sure  we  were  both  very  grateful  to 
her  for  it.  When  thej^  arose  to  go,  Miss  Lee  bent 
over  and  kissed  me,  and  told  me  to  keep  a  light 
heart  and  all  would  be  well.  I  felt  that  this  was  a 
pledge  of  her  friendship  to  me  and  Annie  Belle,  and 
I  thought  \diat  a  kind,  sweet,  and  lovely  lady  she 
was,  to  take  so  much  interest  in  the  affairs  of  two 
children  ;  especially  since  I  was  a  Yankee,  and  her 
own  true  lover  was  a  captain  in  the  Southern  army. 
My  visitors  had  filled  my  heart  and  my  chamber 
with  sunshine.  But  as  I  sat  thinking  of  Annie 
Belle  and  her  soft  blue  eyes,  and  of  the  womanly 
grace  and  beauty  of  Miss  Lee,  a  shadow  fell  upon  the 
floor  and  gradually  filled  the  entire  room,  and  I  felt 
its  chill  creeping  all  over  me  ;  and  this  shadow  was 
caused  by  the  thought  that  my  brother  must  cer- 
tainly be  in  love  with  Miss  Lee,  as  he  had  been  quite 
often  in  her  company,  and  I  could  not  imagine  how 
any  man  could  see  Miss  Lee  without  being  in  love 


T^HE    LI'TTLPi    BUGLPiR.  ^1 

with  her.  Now,  my  sadness  came  with  thought  of 
my  brother's  great  misfortune  in  loving  one  who 
loved  another ;  and  I  felt  how  utterly  miserable  I 
should  be  if  Annie  Belle's  heart  had  been  filled  with 
the  image  of  some  little  rebel  boy,  and  not  my  own. 
But  I  was  quite  certain  that  this  could  not  be,  or 
Miss  Lee  would  not  have  talked  and  acted  as  she 
did  ;  besides,  I  felt  sure  that  Annie  Belle  and  I 
understood  each  other  pretty  Avell,  although  we 
had  never  spoken  to  each  other  about  the  mat- 
ter. But  girls  and  boys,  men  and  women,  can 
talk  to  each  other  without  using  words ;  for 
there  is  language  in  the  eyes,  the  tones  of  the  voice, 
and  in  every  movement,  and  it  only  requires  a  sympa- 
thetic spirit  to  read  it.  Love,  like  murder,  will  out ; 
and  that  when  we  are  least  aware  of  it.  When  my 
brother  came  from  the  camp  that  evening,  I  was 
unusually  kind  to  him,  as  I  meant  to  inform  him  of 
Miss  Lee's  engagement  to  Capt.  Graves.  I  felt 
sure  that  it  would  be  a  great  shock  to  him,  and  I 
wanted  to  break  the  news  as  gently  as  possible. 
Poor  fellow !  how  I  pitied  him.  I  told  him  of 
my  two  visitors,  and  how  kind  and  considerate 
Miss  Lee  had  been.  I  mentioned  especially  her 
kind  remarks  about  him  ;  but  instead  of  its  eplh 


6^  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

ing  me  on  in  my  sorrowful  task,  I  was  afraid  that  1 
had  unwittingly  given  him  encouragement.  "  Miss 
Lee  seemed  to  think,"  I  went  on  to  say,  **that 
Annie  Belle  and  I  have  a  tender  regard  for  each 
other,  and  she  said  many  kind  things  to  encourage 
us."  But  I  added,  "I  suppose  it  is  natural  for 
those  who  are  in  love  themselves  to  imagine  that 
everybody  else  is  in  the  same  predicament.  "  Now, 
I  wanted  my  brother  to  know  that  ^liss  Lee  was  in 
love,  before  telling  him  the  name  of  her  lover,  as  it 
would  be  too  much  to  tell  it  all  at  once.  But  this 
was  a  most  unfortunate  place  to  pause,  for  my 
brother  might  reasonably  think  that  he  was  the 
object  of  her  love.  My  task  grew  more  difficult  as 
I  went  on,  for  I  felt  that  I  had  unintentionally 
awakened  hopes  which  I  must  soon  blast.  I  grew 
more  determined,  and  advanced  in  a  more  direct 
way.  I  said  that  Miss  Lee  was  a  very  accomplished 
and  beautiful  young  lady,  but  I  was  sure  that  she 
could  never  love  a  Union  soldier,  as  she  was  a  great 
rebel,  and  had  nothing  but  hatred  for  the  Yankoie 
armv.  I  felt  that  this  was  comins:  verv  near  the 
point,  and  I  looked  away  from  my  brother,  as  I  did 
not  wish  to  witness  his  agony.  Xow,  he  understood 
me  from  the  beginning,  and  was  greatly  amused  at 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  63 

toy  concern  about  him  ;  so  he  relieved  me  at  once 
from  my  embarrassment  by  saying  that  "  Miss  Lee 
certainly  was  a  very  charming  young  lady,  and  Capt. 
Graves  was  very  fortunate,  and  ought  to  be  proud 
to  have  the  love  of  such  a  woman."  The  shadows 
began  to  disappear.  He  said  also  that  Miss  Lee 
was  a  dangerous  rebel  for  a  Union  soldier  to  meet, 
unless  he  had  his  heart  well  protected  by  the  shield 
of  another  woman's  love.  My  brother  then  read 
me  the  following  letter,  which  he  had  that  day  re- 
ceiv^ed  from  home  :  — 

Deau  Ja:\ies:  I  spent  last  evening  with  your  mother 
and  Lizzie.  Of  course  our  conversation  was  all  about 
you  and  little  George,  and  we  were  glad  that  you  were 
having  such  fine  weather  in  Kentucky.  Winter  has  be- 
gun in  earnest  here  in  New  England,  and  it  is  quite  for- 
tunate for  our  soldiers  that  the  Southern  climate  is  so 
much  milder ;  still,  you  must  have  some  severe  weather  soon 
in  Kentuck}^,  and  it  grieves  us  all  to  think  that  3'ou  can 
have  no  better  shelter  than  a  frail  tent  provides.  Soldiers 
are  passing  through  the  streets  almost  every  day  on  their 
way  to  the  front,  and  it  is  a  wonder  to  me  where  they  all 
come  from.  The  North  is  wide  awake  by  this  time,  and 
I  believe  that  the  rebellion  cannot  last  much  longer.  My 
reading  nowada^^s  is  principally  confined  to  the  daily 
papers,  and  I  keep  myself  pretty  well  informed  about  the 
movements  of  the  different  armies.  The  resignation  of 
the  brave  old  veteran,  Gen.    Scott,   has  been   accepted, 


64  THE   LITTLE   BUGLER. 

and  Gen.  McClellan  succeeds  him  in  the  chief  command 
of  our  national  armies.  I  hope  that  he  may  prove  him- 
self worthy  of  this  high  and  most  responsible  position.  I 
see  that  Gen.  Buell  is  to  succeed  Gen.  Sherman  as  com- 
mander of  the  army  in  Kentucky.  I  trust  you  all  will  be 
pleased  with  him.  The  battle  at  "Camp  Wild-Cat,"  in 
which  a  part  of  jour  aiTny  defeated  Gen.  Zollicoffer,  was 
good  news  to  us  all,  and  we  trust  it  may  prove  a 
prophecy  as  to  the  final  result  in  j^our  department.  I  am 
expecting  every  day  to  hear  of  the  advance  of  your  di- 
vision upon  Gen.  Buckner  at  Bowling  Green.  Gen. 
McClellan  is  getting  together  a  very  fine  army  upon  the 
Potomac,  and  we  expect  great  things  of  him. 

Annie  Parsons. 

I  have  not  given  the  letter  in  full,  but  enough  to 
indicate  the  relation  w^hich  existed  between  Miss 
Parsons  and  my  brother.  This  letter  completely 
relieved  my  mind  concerning  my  brother  and  Miss 
Lee,  —  and  I  was  happy. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Three  weeks  had  passed  away,  and  I  had  so  far 
recovered  from  my  breaks  and  bruises  that  there 
was  no  further  need  of  physicians,  nor  was  it 
necessary  for  me  to  remain  longer  under  the  care  of 
Mrs.  Graves ;  so  I  began,  with  rather  a  heavy 
heart,  to  prepare  for  my  return  to  the  camp. 
But  my  kind  hostess  and  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Lee, 
insisted  that  I  should  remain  at  least  one  week 
longer,  as  the  weather  was  getting  more  severe,  and 
there  was  danger  of  a  relapse  from  an  exposure 
which  would  be  unavoidable  at  the  camp.  My 
brother  hesitated  about  permitting  me  to  lengthen 
my  stay,  for  we  had  already  enjoyed  as  much  of 
their  hospitalities  as  he  thought  warrantable,  con- 
sidering they  would  accept  nothing  in  return.  But 
as  Mrs.  Graves  was  very  earnest  and  sincere  in  her 
wish  to  have  me  remain,  my  brother  felt  that  it 
would  be  inconsiderate  in  him  to  insist  further  upon 
my  going.  So  it  was  decided  that  I  should  remain 
another  week  at  "  Chestnut  Hill,"  for  that  was  the 

5  (65) 


66  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

name  of  Col.  Graves's  residence.  Now,  I  deter- 
mined to  make  the  best  possible  use  of  these  last 
days  in  cultivating  my  chance  acquaintance  with 
Annie  Belle.  Of  course,  it  was  not  necessary  that 
I  should  remain  in-doors  ;  so  Annie  Belle  and  I  put 
our  heads  together  and  arranged  a  programme  of 
out-door  exercises,  with  something  special  for  the 
afternoon  of  each  day.  The  first  day  we  were  to 
explore  the  barn  and  barn-yard.  One  who  has 
never  been  South  can  get  no  true  idea  of  the 
extensiveness  of  the  barn  and  barn-yard  of  a  large 
Southern  plantation.  All  the  horses,  mules,  and 
cattle  have  to  be  sheltered  ;  and  the  corn,  wheat, 
tobacco,  flax,  rice,  cotton,  etc.,  must  be  stored 
away  ;  and  the  barn  is  usually  large  enough  for  all 
of  these  purposes.  It  comprises  all  the  store-room 
and  stables  necessary  to  the  plantation.  The  first 
object  that  particularly  attracted  my  attention  on 
entering  the  barn-yard  was  a  very  strange,  sad,  and 
solemn-looking  creature  ;  and  there  was  something 
about  it  that  at  once  excited  my  pity,  for  it  looked 
very  unhappy,  as  though  it  had  recently  lost  some 
dear  friend.  This  animal  proved  to  be  a  donkey ; 
and  I  was  told  that  this  was  its  habitual  and  natural 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  67 

appearance, — that  it  at  all  times  presented  this 
same  melancholy  face  and  figure.  I  was  inclined  to 
linger  al)out  this  grave  and  sober-minded  beast,  but 
Annie  Bell,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  these 
animals  all  her  life,  could  not  understand  why  I 
was  so  much  impressed  by  the  donkey ;  and  she 
hurried  me  away,  for  she  said  she  could  see  nothing 
instructive  or  interesting  in  that  absurd  creature. 
But,  absurd-looking  as  it  undoubtedly  was,  the 
donkey  had  nevertheless  made  an  impression  upon 
me,  and  I  shall  never  forget  that  particular  donkey,  as 
the  sequel  will  show.  We  next  went  to  the  mule- 
sheds,  where  we  saw  the  mules,  horses,  and  oxen, 
more  than  two  hundred  in  all,  which  were  used  for 
field  purposes.  Now,  the  family  of  the  mule  is  of 
doubtful  origin,  and  it  is  therefore  not  considered  a 
very  high-toned  beast ;  in  fact,  it  is  regarded  as 
being  very  low-toned,  and  no  respectable  horse 
would  be  found  associating  with  it  under  any  cir- 
cumstances. Sometimes,  however,  one  will  see,  in 
the  South,  mules  and  horses  harnessed  together ; 
but  it  is  pretty  sure  evidence  that  the  horse  has  lost 
caste  among  his  horse  companions,  either  from  bad 
conduct,  the  want  of  a  good  pedigree,  or  some  kind 


68  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

or  other  of  inferiority  which  renders  him  an  unfit 
companion  for  liis  fellow-horses.  Now,  the  horses 
we  saw  in  the  mule -sheds  were  mostly  of  plebeian 
orisrin,  and  could  boast  of  no  remote  ancestry. 
They  were  called  by  the  euphonious  name  of 
**  plugs,"  but  what  this  word  signifies  in  that 
relation  I  have  never  been  able  to  learn.  Some  of 
these  horses,  however,  might  boast  of  pretty  good 
blood  ;  but  they  had  been  unable,  for  some  reason,  to 
maintain  a  respectable  position  "  on  the  road," 
either  to  the  wagon  or  under  the  saddle,  so  they 
had  fallen  to  the  low  and  degrading  station  of 
common  field-drudges,  and  were  compelled  to 
become  the  companions  of  mules  and  oxen.  After 
our  visit  to  the  mule-sheds,  where  we  saw,  as  I  have 
stated,  horses,  mules,  and  oxen  living  together 
promiscuously,  without  any  apparent  social  dis- 
tinctions, we  went  to  the  most  aristocratic  locality 
of  the  barn,  where  the  "  thoroughbreds  "  were 
stabled.  I  felt  at  once  that  I  was  in  a  very  dif- 
ferent atmosphere.  There  was  a  superior  air  about 
these  horses,  and  the  difference  between  them  and 
those  in  the  mule-sheds  was  just  as  marked  as 
the  difference  between  the  residents  of  Beacon  and 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  69 

North  Streets,  Boston  ;  or  Baxter  Street  and  the 
Fifth  Avenue,  New  York.  I  wtis  k)oking  through 
these  well-kept  stables  and  admiring  the  fine  horses, 
when  I  heard  a  familiar  whinney,  and  turning  about, 
saw  my  own  little  horse,  which  I  had  not  seen 
before  since  I  left  him  in  the  care  of  little 
black  Jake,  on  the  memorable  day  of  the  nutting 
expedition.  But  there  he  was,  right  in  the  midst 
of  the  blooded  roadsters,  and  he  held  his  head  just 
as  high,  and  looked  in  every  way  just  as  respectable, 
as  any  of  them.  He  was  fat  and  sleek,  and  had 
evidently  enjoyed  his  stay  in  the  barn  as  much  as 
I  had  enjo3^ed  my  stay  in  the  house.  Annie  Belle 
said  that  she  had  been  frequently  to  see  my  little 
horse  during  my  illness,  and  had  carried  him  apples 
and  peaches,  and  all  sorts  of  nice  things  to  eat;  but 
he  seemed  to  care  more  for  his  corn  and  oats  than 
for  anything  else,  and  so  she  had  ceased  to  take  him 
anything,  except  now  and  then  a  bit  of  fresh  grass, 
which  he  usually  ate  with  little  ceremony.  My 
horse  seemed  to  recognize  Annie  Belle,  for  he  jjut 
out  his  nose  towards  her  while  she  was  talkins:,  and 
sniffed  about  as  if  he  were  expecting  some  more 
grass  ;  but  instead  of  the  grass  she  gave  him  several 


70  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

gentle  pats,  which  he  took  with  raucli  comphicency, 
as  thouij^h  he  were  accustomed  to  attentions  of  that 
sort.  The  fact  was,  I  could  see  very  plainly  that 
my  horse  was  putting  on  most  extraordinary  airs, 
aiul  pretending  that  he  was  used  to  this  kind  of 
living ;  while  the  plain  truth  was,  he  had  not  had 
a  very  respectable  parentage,  nor  a  very  genteel 
bringing  up,  and  there  were  very  grave  doubts 
about  the  blueness  of  his  blood.  As  it  some- 
times happens,  through  the  shifting  of  circum- 
stances, that  the  North  Street  resident  gets 
quartered  in  Beacon  Street,  or  the  Baxter  Street 
resident  in  the  Fifth  Avenue,  so  in  this  instance,  the 
horse  of  low  degree  (pedigree)  had  found  himself 
upon  a  footing  with  the  thoroughbreds  ;  and  as 
the  Baxter  or  North  Street  resident  is  sure  to  carry 
with  him  the  marks  of  his  origin,  let  him  climb 
never  so  high  upon  the  social  ladder,  so  this  little 
plebeian  horse  was  constantly  giving  signs  of  his 
recent  promotion.  While  Annie  Belle  patted  him, 
he  gave  me  a  sly  look  out  of  the  corners  of  his  eyes, 
and  seemed  to  say,  "  I  see,  yonng  master,  that  you 
are  getting  on  very  well  with  the  pretty  little  girl ; 
and  as  forme,  I  am  determined  to  make  these  proud 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  71 

roiidsters  here  understand  thtit  I  have  seen  blooded 
horses  before  I  came  here,  and  that  I  am  just  as 
good  as  the  best  of  them,  and  know  what  is  due  my 
position  as  the  horse  of  a  soldier  and  a  bugler."  I 
o^ave  him  a  2:lance  in  return,  which  he  no  doubt  un- 
derstood,  to  the  effect  that  I  had  no  fears  of  his 
disgracing  me,  but  was  a  little  apprehensive  lest  he 
might  betray  his  low  origin  by  his  pretentious  airs. 
Annie  Bell  showed  as  much  interest  in  my  little 
horse  as  I  had  shown  in  the  donkey.  She  asked 
me  where  I  got  him,  how  long  I  had  possessed  him, 
and  how  I  brought  him  down  there  with  me.  I 
answered  the  first  two  questions  satisfactorily,  but  I 
could  not  fully  explain  to  her  how  my  horse  was 
brought  down  as  far  as  Louisville  in  the  cars. 
She  had  never  seen  horses  on  the  cars,  and  was  a 
little  puzzled  to  understand  how  they  are  taken  on 
and  off.  After  a  cordial  leave-taking  of  my  horse, 
we  went  to  the  apartments  where  the  machinery  and 
farming  implements  were  stored  away  for  the 
winter.  I  saw  there,  for  the  first  time,  a  cotton- 
gin.  A  cotton-gin  is  a  machine  for  separating  the 
seeds  from  the  cotton,  and,  strange  to  say,  it  was 
invented  by  Eli  Whitney,  a  Connecticut  Yankee, 


72  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

who  lived  where  there  wiis  no  cotton  raised,  and 
hence  no  need  for  such  a  machine.  Cotton  is  not 
so  extensive!}^  cultivated  in  Kentucky  as  it  is  further 
south,  so  I  did  not  see  it  in  very  great  quantities. 

For  the  remainder  of  my  stay  at  "  Chestnut  Hill  " 
I  will  copy  from  my  diarv,  which  was  written  at 
the  close  of  each  day.  There  are  few  changes  made 
from  the  original  entries  :  — 

Chestnut  Hill ^  Monday^  December  3,  1861. — 
Got  almost  ready  for  my  return  to  the  camp  ;  was 
packing  up  my  things,  and  feeling  pretty  blue,  when 
Annie  Belle  came  runnino^  in  to  tell  me  that  it  had 
been  settled  between  Mrs.  Graves  and  my  brother 
that  I  was  to  remain  another  week.  Annie  Belle 
seemed  very  glad  to  have  me  remain  ;  this  pleased  me 
more  than  anything  else.  We  made  our  plans  for  the 
week.  What  a  strange  and  solemn-looking  creature 
a  donkey  is  ;  it  seems  also  to  be  very  wise.  I  saw 
my  little  horse  for  the  first  time  since  my  accident. 

I  will  not  copy  any  more  from  tlie  first  day's  diary, 
as  I  have  alread}^  given  an  account  of  the  doings  of 
that  day. 

Tuesday,  December  4,  1861. — This  morning 
Miss  Lee  read  at  the  breakfast-table  an  account  of 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  7.3 

a  skirmish,  in  which  Capt.  Graves  had  routed  a 
party  of  foragers  from  our  camp.  They  all  talked 
about  it  very  merrily,  —  except  Annie  Belle.  We 
went  to  the  negro  quarters,  and  saw  an  old  negro 
woman  baking  hoe-cakes  on  a  board  ;  the  negroes 
have  no  stoves,  and  do  all  their  cooking  over 
the  fire,  with  a  crane,  oven,  etc.  Their  food  is 
composed  almost  entirely  of  corn-cake  and  hog- 
meat.  They  seem  quite  happy.  They  sang  us  a 
song,  and  I  have  w^ritten  down  a  part  of  it,  that 
Annie  Belle  remembered  and  repeated  to  me  :  — 

As  I  went  down  in  cle  valley  fo'  to  pray, 

Bo'n  King  ob  cle  Jews, 
Studyin'  about  de  good  old  way, 
Bo'n  King  ob  de  Jews. 
Oh  wlia,  Oh  wha,  Oh  wha,  Oh  wha,  — 
Oh  wha  am  He  dat  was  bo'n  Kingob  de  Jews? 
If  yo'  git  da  afo'  I  do, 

Bo'n  King  ob  de  Jews, 
Tell  'em  I's  comin'  too, 

Bo'n  King  ob  de  Jews. 
Oh  wha,  Oh  wha,  etc. 

We  heard  an  old  negro  man  praying  aloud  in  a 
very  strong  voice.  Annie  Belle  says  that  he  always 
prays  when  he  thinks  any  white  persons  are  listen- 
ing to  him  ;  she  says  that  he  is  no  t  thought  to  be  very 
sincere  in  his  worship.      I  was  curious  to  hear  what 


74  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

kind  of  a  prayer  he  would  offer,  and  was  listening 
to  him,  when  a  stout,  cheerful-looking  negro  woman 
came  up  to  us  and  said,  "  Massa  and  missus,  don't 
you  pay  no  'tention  to  dat  old  nigger  in  da  ;  he'll  be 
stealin'  chickens  afo'  to-mo'  night."  The  old  man 
heard  this  not  very  flattering  comment  upon  his 
moral  and  religious  character,  and  replied  thus  : 
**  Go  'long  way  fom  da,  you  lyin'  nigger.  You  won't 
go  to  de  good  place  you'self,  and  you  don't  want  no- 
body else  to  go  da  neither."  Several  slaves  had 
gathered  around  the  disputants  by  this  time,  and  it 
was  evident  that  each  champion  had  friends  in  the 
audience  ;  but  the  negro  woman  was  not  very  easily 
vanquished,  and,  true  to  her  sex,  had  the  last  word. 
**  De  good  Lo'd  don't  know  you  nigger,  — de  good 
Lo'd  don't  know  vou,"  and  witha  loud  laugh,  away 
she  ran  to  her  cabin.  We  had  games  in  the  parlor 
at  night. 

Wednesdai/y  December  5,  1861. — CoL  Graves 
returned  last  night  from  Louisville .  He  brought  with 
him  dresses  and  manv  other  nice  thino:s  for  tbe 
ladies  and  Annie  Belle.  She  showed  me  all  that  was 
brought  her.  I  think  the  blue  dress  is  the  prettiest ; 
it  is  near  the  color  of  her  eyes.     We  went  to  visit 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  75 

the  Phillipses  to-day,  and  had  quite  a  nice  time  of 
it.  I  had  not  seen  any  of  them  since  my  illness. 
Walter  went  and  brought  Sadie  Woods  over,  and 
we  had  a  fine  time  roasting  chestnuts.  They  were 
all  very  kind  to  me,  and  Walter  was  quite  earnest  in 
begging  my  pardon  for  his  carelessness,  which  caused 
my  fall  from  the  chestnut  tree.  Emma  wanted  to 
outshine  the  other  girls,  especially  Annie  Belle  ; 
but  she  did  not  seem  to  take  much  notice  of  it.  I 
could  see,  however,  that  they  were  not  particularly 
fond  of  each  other.  Emma  and  I  had  a  little  pri- 
vate talk.  She  asked  me  many  questions  about 
Annie  Belle,  but  I  gave  her  little  satisfaction.  I  am 
quite  sure  that  she  believes  me  in  love  with  Annie 
Belle.  She  spoke  of  getting  letters  from  Fred.  Aus- 
tin, and  said  that  he  was  very  handsome.  1  heard  all 
of  this  without  exhibiting  the  least  sign  of  jealousy, 
which  I  imagine  a  little  disappointing  to  Emma.  I 
caught  Annie  Belle's  eyes  flashing  upon  us  two 
or  three  times,  and  this  made  me  feel  that  our  pri- 
vate talk  was  annoying  to  her,  and  so  I  proposed  to 
Emma  that  we  return  to  the  company.  But  Emma 
saw  that  Annie  Belle  was  not  pleased  with  this 
secrecy  between  us,  and  so  she  endeavored  to  detain 


76  THE    LITTLE   BUGLER. 

me  with  various  trivial  matters.  I  saw  plainly  that 
this  was  done  simply  to  annoy  Annie  Belle,  and  I  de- 
termined that  she  should  see  how  the  matter  stood, 
and  that  I  did  not  have  any  particular  regard  for 
Emma.  So  I  called  out  to  the  others  that  Emma 
wastellins:  me  about  her  brave  and  handsome  sweet- 
heart,  Mr.  Austin,  and  that  I  thought  the  entire 
company  ought  to  hear  it,  as  it  was  quite  interest- 
ing. This  turned  the  tables  on  Emma,  and  Annie 
Belle  enjo^^ed  it  more  than  any  other  one.  She 
brightened  up  at  once,  and  was  much  more  lively 
the  remainder  of  our  visit.  Walter  and  Sadie  were 
very  sweet  on  each  other.  We  spent  the  evening  in 
the  parlor  at  "Chestnut  Hill."  Col.  Graves  told 
us  about  his  visit  to  Louisville.  He  says  that  there 
are  a  great  many  soldiers  there,  and  the  citizens 
are  much  annoyed  by  them.  He  fears  that  his 
horses  and  mules  Avill  l)e  taken  l)y  our  army.  I 
told  him  that  my  brother  would  protect  his  prop- 
erty. He  said  he  knew  my  brother  would  do  all  in 
his  power,  but  he  feared  it  was  not  in  his  power  to 
protect  him,  as  it  was  generally  known  that  he  was 
a  Secessionist,  and  had  two  sons  in  the  Confederate 
army.     This  made  me  feel  very  bad,  for  I  thought 


THE    LITTLE   BUGLER. 


77 


that  it  would  be  a  very  mean  thing  for  our  army  to 
destroy  the  property  of  this  good  family,  all  of 
whom  had  been  so  kind  to  a  little  stranger,  as  I  was. 
They  all  talked  till  quite  late,  in  a  very  sober  man- 
ner, about  their  friends  in  the  army  and  the  dismal 
condition  of  everything  in  the  South.  Annie  Belle 
and  I  sat  in  a  corner  and  listened  attentively  to  all 
that  was  said.  We  both  frequently  sighed,  and 
there  was  a  general  feeling  of  'sadness,  and  the 
*<  good-nights"  were  spoken  in  almost  solemn  tones. 
I  wish  there  was  no  such  thing  as  war ;  how  much 
sorrow  and  heart-burning  it  causes. 

Thursday^  December  6,  1861. — This  was  a 
bright  morning,  and  we  were  granted  the  liberty  of 
a  horseback  ride  to  the  village.  My  horse  had  not 
been  out  of  the  barn-yard  for  so  long  that  the  ladies 
feared  I  would  not  be  a1)le  to  manage  him  ;  but  I 
was  quite  willing  to  risk  it.  A  beautiful  bay  horse 
was  brought  out  for  Annie  Belle.  The  girls  in  the 
South  learn  to  ride  horseback  when  very  young, 
and  I  found  to  my  surprise  that  Annie  Belle  could 
sit  a  horse  almost  as  well  as  I.  Just  as  I  was 
seated  in  my  saddle,  the  donkey  set  up  a  terrible 
braying,  and  my  little  horse  embraced  the  opportu- 


78  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

nity  of  exhibiting  himself  before  the  family.  He 
pricked  up  his  ears,  elevated  his  tail,  snorted,  and 
pranced  around  Annie  Belle,  and  reared  up  two  or 
three  times.  I  was  not  displeased  with  this  per- 
formance, as  it  gave  me  a  chance  to  display  my  horse- 
manship. This  satisfied  the  ladies  that  I  was  master 
of  the  situation.  Our  horses  went  prancing  down 
the  lane,  and  the  ladies  waved  their  handkerchiefs 
after  us.  Annie  Belle  seems  prettier  in  every  new 
attitude.  I  don't  believe  there  ever  was  a  girl  who 
looked  so  j^retty  on  horseback,  or  could  sit  a  horse 
so  gracefully  as  she  can.  The  village  is  two  miles 
away.  AYe  called  at  the  post-office  and  got  two  let- 
ters ;  one  of  them  was  for  Miss  Lee,  — from  Capt. 
Graves,  I  suspect.  I  proposed  that  we  should  return 
by  way  of  the  camp,  as  I  wanted  my  friends  to  see 
me  in  company  with  so  pretty  a  young  miss.  She 
was  naturally  modest,  and  a  little  timid  about  meet- 
ing soldiers  ;  and  although  she  did  not  decline,  I 
did  not  press  her,  and  so  we  returned  as  we  had 
come.  We  had  a  race  up  the  lane  to  the  house. 
I  was  beaten,  and  Annie  Belle  said  she  knew  that 
I  held  my  horse  back  on  purpose,  to  let  her  beat. 
So  I  did,  and  my  little  horse  did  not  like  it  at  all ; 


THR    LITTLE    BUGLER.  79 

for  although  he  is  of  humble  parentage,  yet  he  can 
run  like  a  deer.  My  brother  came  and  spent  the 
evening  with  the  ladies.  Miss  Lee  played  the  piano 
and  sang  several  Southern  songs,  among  others, 
'*The  Bonne  Blue  FUig  "  and  '*  Dixie."  She  and 
brother  sang  a  duet.  Brother  has  a  fine  voice,  and 
dances  elegantly.  I  am  proud  of  him,  and  am  quite 
sure  that  he  is  quite  as  clever  and  handsome  as 
Capt.  Graves.  Annie  Belle  and  I  danced  several 
times.  I  wish  I  could  dance  better.  She  says  that 
I  am  a  *'  nice  partner,"  but  I  know  that  I  am  not  a 
good  dancer.  Napoleon  or  Wellington,  I  don't 
know  which,  said  that  among  their  soldiers  the  best 
dancers  were  always  the  best  fighters ;  and  my 
brother  savs  that  the  colonel  who  led  the  charofe  of 
the  *  *  Lio^ht  Brio^ade  ' '  was  noted  for  his  fine  dancing 
and  other  society  accomplishments, — in  fact,  he  was 
a  society  "  exquisite."  So  I  must  learn  to  dance  in 
the  best  manner  possible. 

Friday/,  December  7,  1861, — I  was  a  little  stiff 
from  my  horseback  ride  yesterday,  and  Annie  Belle 
makes  the  same  report  of  herself.  We  went  hunt- 
ing persimmons  to-day.  They  are  very  sweet  fruit 
when  fully  ripe,  but  when  not  perfectly  so  they 


80  THE   LITTLE    BUGLER. 

are  very  bitter,  and  pucker  one's  mouth  as  though  he 
were  trying  to  whistle.  I  got  one  which  looked 
ripe,  but  on  tasting  it  I  found  my  mistake.  Annie 
Belle  laughed  at  my  puckered  lips  ;  but  I  soon  for- 
got the  bitter  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  sweet,  and 
ate  a  great  quantity.  We  spent  the  evening  together 
in  my  chaml^er,  as  there  was  company  in  the  parlor 
that  we  did  n(jt  particularly  enjoy.  I  shall  never 
forget  this  evening. 

Saturday^  December  8^  1861. — Mrs.  Lee,  Miss 
Lee,  Annie  Belle  and  I,  all  went  over  to  Maj. 
Chrisler's.  There  were  two  young  ladies  at  this 
house.  They  had  evidently  heard  of  me,  for  they 
said,  ''And  this  is  the  little  bugler,  is  it?"  The 
ladies  sang  Southern  songs,  and  talked  about  little 
else  than  the  war.  There  was  a  boy  and  girl.  The 
bov  orave  me  no  concern  in  res^ard  to  Annie  Belle ; 
the  girl  is  not  my  style.  We  had  the  best  corn- 
bread  for  dinner  that  I  ever  ate.  We  spent  the 
evening  in  the  library,  reading  over  our  notes  to 
each  other.  I  did  not  read  all  of  mine,  and  I  think 
she  skipped  some  of  her's.  I  should  like  to  see  all 
she  has  written. 

Sunday,  December  P,  1861.  — This  is  the  first 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  81 

diiy  and  the  last  day, — the  first  day  of  the  week 
and  the  hist  day  of  my  stay  at  "  Chestnut  Hill." 
This  being  Sunday,  we  were  quiet  and  good.  I 
asked  Annie  Belle  what  church  she  attended,  and 
she  answered,  Avith  some  surprise,  "  The  Episcopal, 
of  course."  And  she  looked  at  me,  as  much  as  to 
say,  **N<)W,  I  hope  you  are  not  opposed  to  the 
church,  too,  as  well  as  to  slavery."  I  did  not 
answer  her  look  of  inquiry,  for  I  felt  that  here 
would  be  another  cause  of  difference.  I  said  that  I 
was  quite  familiar  with  the  church  service,  and  had 
a  great  many  friends  who  attended  it.  But  this  did 
not  satisfy  her,  and  she  said,  *'  I  hope  you  are  not 
a  Baptist,  are  you?  "  I  answered  that  I  was  not  a 
Baptist.  There  were  only  two  churches  in  the 
village,  an  Episcopal  and  a  Baptist,  so  it  was  quite 
natural  for  her  to  infer  that  I  must  be  a  Baptist  if 
not  an  Episcopalian.  I  told  her  what  church  I  at- 
tended w^hen  at  home,  but  she  knew  little  about 
this  church,  and  did  not  seem  to  take  any  interest  in 
the  matter.  I  was  very  anxious  that  she  should 
respect  my  religion,  and  began  to  explain,  but  she 
took  little  interest  in  what  I  said.  She  was  entirely 
satisfied    to   know  that   I  was  not  a  Baptist,  so  I 


82  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

did  not  attempt  any  further  explanation  or  defence 
of  my  faith.  I  went  to  church  and  read  the  service 
with  her  out  of  her  prayer-book,  and  if  there  had 
been  anything  wanting,  this  convinced  her  that  I 
was  sound  in  the  faith.  We  lingered  in  the  parlor 
rather  late,  as  it  was  my  last  night  at  «*  Chestnut 
Hill."  While  our  army  remains  at  its  present 
camp  I  am  going  to  see  Annie  Belle  at  least  three 
times  a  week,  and  when  the  army  changes  camp 
we  are  to  write  often  to  each  other. 

Camp  BueU,  Monday,  December  10,  1861. — I 
slept  very  little  last  night,  but  when  I  did  I  dreamed 
of  Annie  Belle ;  but  it  was  such  a  strange  and 
confused  dream.  It  appeared  that  she  was  taken 
from  me  unwillingly,  and  carried  off  in  a  carriage 
drawn  by  six  white  horses.  I  followed  after  her, 
and  found  her  in  a  fine  mansion.  She  was  very  sad, 
and  told  me  that  it  was  all  my  fault.  I  wanted  to 
take  her  away  with  me,  but  she  said  she  coukl  not 
leave  that  place,  but  must  always  live  there.  While 
we  Avere  talking,  a  strange,  cold-looking  man  came 
between  us  and  led  her  away  into  another  apartment. 
She  looked  back  at  me,  standing  alone,  and  with 
sad  face   and  reluctant  step    disappeared  from  my 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  83 

sight.  This  dream  awoke  me  ;  I  was  feeling  very 
unhappy,  and  could  not  sleep  again.  I  was  up 
very  early,  and  went  out  upon  the  piazza.  I  was  not 
there  long  before  Annie  Belle  joined  me.  She  was 
not  looking  happy  either.  I  told  her  my  dream. 
She  looked  frightened,  and  said  that  she  had  had  an 
ugly  dream  too,  - — about  me  being  on  one  side  of  a 
dark,  swiftly  flowing  river,  and  she  was  on  the  other 
side,  and  there  was  no  boat,  nor  other  means  of 
crossino^  the  river.  We  stood  there  lookins:  at  each 
other,  and  the  river  grew  wider  and  wider,  until  we 
faded  away  from  each  other's  sight.  We  were  both 
greatly  troubled  about  these  dreams,  and  were  not 
disposed  to  converse  much,  but  walked  the  piazza 
arm-in-arm,  in  sad  and  silent  meditation,  until 
breakfast  was  announced.  We  told  our  dreams  to 
Miss  Lee,  and  sought  consolation  from  her.  She 
assured  us  that  the  contrary  of  dreams  always  came 
to  pass.  This  lifted  the  load  from  our  young 
hearts,  and  we  were  happy  once  more.  Annie 
Belle  assisted  me  in  packing  my  things,  and 
when  my  brother  came  I  Avas  all  ready.  On  taking 
leave  of  the  family,  the  ladies  all  kissed  me,  and 
asked  me  to  come  and  see  them  often,  as  Annie 


84  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

Belle  would  be  quite  lonely  without  me.  O  !  what 
good  and  kind  people  they  are.  I  wish  the  war  was 
over.  I  had  quite  a  reception  at  camp,  as  I  had 
been  absent  about  one  month.  The  officers  all 
greeted  me  very  warmly,  and  the  soldiers  gave 
three  cheers  for  the  "  little  bugler"  and  kind  Mrs. 
Graves,  who  had  nursed  him  so  well.  Our  cook  had 
prepared  a  nice  dinner  for  me,  and  was  disappointed 
that  I  ate  so  little.  My  brother  seemed  to  under- 
stand why  I  had  no  appetite,  and  proposed  that  I 
should  ride  out  with  him  and  view  the  picket  lines. 
He  thought  thus  to  divert  my  mind  from  *  *  Chestnut 
Hill."  It  is  believed  that  our  army  will  not  remain 
here  much  longer,  and  that  there  is  soon  to  be  a 
general  advance  of  the  entire  army.  I  suppose  I 
must  make  my  mind  up  to  a  separation  from 
*'  Chestnut  Hill,"  Annie  Belle,  and  all  the  good, 
kind  people  there  ;  but  we  are  going  to  write  very 
often,  and  when  the  war  is  over,  and  I  grow  up  to  be 
a  man  —  But  I  guess  I  shall  not  write  down  here 
what  I  intend  to  do,  for  fear  that  some  one  might 
read  it,  and  then  I  would  be  laughed  at.  But  I 
mean  to  do  it  all  the  same,  if  I  don't  write  it 
down. 


THE    LITTLK    BUGLER.  85 

The  diary  ends  here,  and  I  will  continue  my  nar- 
rative where  tlie  diary  leaves  it.  My  illness  had 
prevented  nic  from  practising  upon  my  bugle,  and  I 
found  that  it  was  quite  difficult  for  me  to  blow  the 
ordinary  camp-calls.  There  was,  of  course,  another 
bugler,  w^ho  blew  all  the  calls  in  my  absence.  He 
was  a  German,  about  thirty-five  years  old,  and  had 
seen  service  in  the  *' German  Revolution."  He 
was  the  first  bugler  of  our  battalion,  a  good 
musician,  and  gave  me  lessons  on  the  bugle  when- 
ever I  was  able  to  take  them.  I  spent  the  most  of 
Tuesday  practising  under  his  direction.  In  order 
not  to  annoy  tlie  camp,  we  went  some  distance  away 
and  climbed  down  under  the  banks  of  the  river,  and 
the  soldiers  were  thus  spared  the  very  disagreeable 
noise  of  bugle-practice.  My  teacher  appointed 
regular  hours  for  each  day,  and  my  brother  was  as 
strict  in  making  me  attend  to  those  hours  as  any 
mother  is  in  requiring  her  daughter  to  attend  to 
piano-practice.  Ahnost  two  days  and  nights  had 
passed  since  I  left  *' Chestnut  Hill,"  and  it  really 
seemed  a  very  long  time.  I  mounted  my  horse  on 
Wednesday  morning,  and  headed  him  in  the 
direction  of  the  ele^rant  old  mansion  where  we  had 


86  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

both  been  so  kindly  cared  for  during  my  illness. 
My  horse  seemed  to  understand  where  I  was 
expecting  him  to  carry  me,  and  went  forward  as 
though  he  anticipated  as  much  pleasure  in  the  visit 
as  nwself.  1  took  my  bugle  along  with  me.  Annie 
Belle  had  never  seen  it,  and  wanted  to  hear  me  blow 
upon  it.  I  permitted  my  horse  to  choose  his  own 
gait  —  which  was  not  a  dog-trot,  by  any  means  — 
until  we  got  to  the  lane  leading  up  to  the  house  ;  I 
then  blew  two  or  three  shrill  calls  upon  my  bugle,  and 
putting  spurs  to  my  horse,  went  dashing  up  to  the 
house  in  a  sweeping  gallop.  Miss  Lee  and  Annie 
Belle  came  out  upon  the  piazza  when  they  heard 
the  sound  of  the  bugle,  and  Annie  Belle  ran  down 
to  the  gate  to  meet  me,  as  I  dismounted  and  gave 
my  horse  to  the  colored  man.  The  horse  seemed 
as  much  pleased  to  get  back  to  "  Chestnut  Hill  " 
as  I  was.  On  entering  the  barn-yard  he  gave  a 
loud  neigh,  which  was  intended  as  a  familiar  salute 
to  the  thoroughbreds.  Annie  Belle  asked  me  to 
blow  again  upon  my  bugle.  I  did  so,  and  this 
brought  out  all  the  family  and  servants.  Aunt  Coal 
and  the  sergeant  included.  The  negros  could  be  seen 
perched  upon  the  fence  and  out-houses  all  the  way 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  87 

from  the  barn  to  the  negro  quarters.  The  donkey 
responded  to  my  call,  and  gave  us  a  most  doleful 
blast,  which,  in  contrast  to  my  bugle,  sounded  so 
ludicrously  melancholy  that  it  set  us  all  laughing. 
The  sergeant  was  irreverent  enough  to  propose  a 
duet  between  my  bugle  and  the  donkey.  I  indig- 
nantly declined.  We  all  went  into  the  house  in 
good  spirits,  and  Miss  Lee  sat  down  to  the  piano 
and  sang  *'  Then  You'll  Remember  Me,"  as  I  had 
never  heard  her  sing  before.  Annie  Belle  said  it 
seemed  a  week  since  I  had  left  **  Chestnut  Hill." 
I  replied  that  I  was  very  glad  my  absence  was  so 
much  noticed  by  her,  but  I  hoped  the  time  would 
not  hang  heavily  upon  her.  She  had  something  for 
me,  she  said,  which  I  must  not  look  at  until  I  got 
back  to  the  camp.  I  promised  I  would  not,  but  I 
came  near  breaking  this  promise  two  or  three  times, 
as  my  curiosity,  in  this  instance  at  least,  was  as 
strong  as  any  woman's.  I  told  her  of  the  camp 
report  that  we  were  to  leave  our  present  quarters 
soon  and  advance  upon  Bowling  Green.  My  visit 
was  most  delightful  in  every  way,  and  I  was  return- 
ing to  the  camp  in  fine  spirits,  when,  as  I  drew  near, 
I  noticed  an  unusual  stir  among  the  teamsters.  I  put 
spurs  to  my  horse,  and  inquired  of  the  first  soldier  I 


8^  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

came  upon,  what  this  bustle  and  general  activity  in 
the  camp  meant.  He  answered  that  he  supposed 
w^e  were  ''going  to  mov^e  camp,"  as  orders  had 
been  given  them  to  have  their  wagons  "  ready  for 
the  road  by  five  o'clock  on  to-morrow  morning." 
This  excited  me.  My  horse  responded  to  my  spurs 
again,  and  I  was  soon  at  my  brother's  tent,  and 
eagerly  asked  of  the  first  person  I  saw  if  the  army 
had  received  marching  orders.  The  reply  came 
in  a  cold,  military  voice,  that  almost  chilled  me 
through,  "  This  army  moves  forward  at  six  o'clock 
on  to-morrow  morning."  This  was  spoken  by  one 
of  the  general's  statf,  an  officer  who  had  been 
educated  at  AVest  Point,  and  who  always  talked 
and  acted  in  the  most  formal  and  military  manner. 
He  was  not  a  favorite  of  mine,  and  it  seemed  that 
he  knew  his  answer  would  give  me  pain,  and  on  that 
account  took  a  grim  delight  in  what  he  said.  I 
asked  for  my  brother,  and  he  replied  that  "  Major 
Monroe  is  at  present  in  consultation  with  the 
general  at  headquarters,  and  cannot  be  seen."  I 
could  not  endure  to  remain  longer  with  this  military 
machine.  I  rushed  out  of  the  tent,  on  the  lookout 
for  some  congenial  spirit.  I  caught  sight  of  the 
genial  face  of  our  surgeon,    as    he   was    returning 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  89 

from  the  hospital.  He  culled  out  to  me  with  a 
pleasant  smile,  and  asked  about  the  folks  at  * 'Chest- 
nut Hill."  He  had  visited  me  there  several  times 
during  mv  illness.  I  went  with  him  to  his  tent. 
He  told  me  that  the  orders  were  simply  to  get  ready 
for  marching  by  six  o'clock  on  the  next  morning,  but 
camp  rumor  reported  that  the  army  was  to  advance 
upon  Gen.  Buckner,  at  Bowling  Green,  and  engage 
him  in  battle.  He  added  that  *'the  camp  rumor 
has  no  other  foundation  than  the  order  to  advance, 
and  the  fact  that  Buckner  is  in  our  front."  His 
own  opinion  was  that  the  army  would  advance  to 
Green  River,  and  there  go  into  winter  quarters. 
I  found  that  my  brother  was  of  the  same  oi)inion. 
In  fact,  he  almost  stated  it  as  something  he  knew. 
Of  course,  we  decided  at  once  to  ride  to  "  Chestnut 
Hill"  that  evening  and  bid  the  good  people  good- 
bye. They  were  a  little  surprised  to  see  us,  as  1  had 
left  them  but  a  few  hours  before.  They  were  all 
sorr}^  that  we  were  to  leave  so  soon.  Annie  Belle  and 
I  went  into  the  library,  that  we  might  have  a  little 
time  to  ourselves.  We  had  some  very  earnest  talk 
for  a  boy  and  girl,  the  nature  of  which  1  shall  not 
mention  ;  but  I  suppose  the  reader  feels  pretty  certain 
what  it  was,  without  me  being  o))liged  to  talk  it  right 


90  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

out.  It  is  not  indelicate,  however,  for  me  to  say  that 
we  promised  that  we  would  ever  be  true  to  each  other, 
come  what  would,  and  we  sealed  this  vow  after  the 
most  approved  fashion  of  somewhat  older  persons 
under  similar  circumstances.  This  sealing  ceremony 
was  prolonged  a  little  beyond  conventional  usages, 
for  some  reason  or  other,  and  on  looking  up,  who 
should  we  see  smiling  down  upon  us  but  the 
sergeant.  He  gave  us  a  very  formal  military 
salute,  called  me  a  very  gallant  —  with  the  accent 
plainly  upon  the  last  syllable  —  soldier,  and  said  he 
was  quite  sure  I  would  never  disgrace  my  uniform 
if  I  confined  my  gallantry  to  encounters  of  that 
nature.  We  both  blushed  a  little,  I  imagine.  I 
did  not  see  the  face  of  either  of  us  at  the  moment. 
The  sergeant  evidently  felt  that  his  presence  was 
embarrassing  to  us.  So  he  said  that  he  would  not 
disturb  us  further,  but  he  knew  a  little  song  which 
he  thought  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  and  with  our 
permission  he  would  sing  a  verse  or  two,  and  then 
retire  to  his  ''  fort,"  which  was  the  name  he  gave  to 
his  chamber.  We  gave  him  our  silent  consent,  and 
he  sang,  in  rather  a  broken  voice,  the  song  called 
«'The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me,"  and  at  the  end  of 
each  verse  he  repeated  the  refrain,  "01  the  girl, 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  91 

the  girl,  the  pretty  little  girl,  the  girl  I  left  behind 
me."  He  then  gave  us  a  parting  salute,  and  retired 
in  good  order  to  his  **  fort."  The  family  all  took 
a  tender  leave  of  me,  especially  Miss  Lee,  Avho 
said  that  I  need  have  no  uneasiness  about  Annie 
Belle,  for  she  ^vould  take  the  best  of  care  of  her, 
and  report  to  me  at  once  in  case  of  any  sickness 
or  other  trouble,  and  in  every  way  see  that  my 
interests  were  properly  looked  after.  This  she 
said  apart  to  Annie  Belle  and  myself  in  a  laugh- 
ing manner.  So  I  left  my  little  sweetheart  in  the 
care  of  Miss  Lee,  with  their  arms  around  each 
other.  We  mounted  our  horses,  and  just  as  we 
were  saying  the  last  words  of  good-bye,  the  donkey 
set  up  a  mournful  braying,  and  our  voices  were  lost 
in  its  dolorous  echoes. 


CHAPTER   V. 

On  returning  to  the  camp  from  ''  Chestnut  Hill," 
I  proceeded  at  once  to  examine  the  neatly  done-up 
package  which  Annie  Belle  had  given  me.  It  con- 
tained a  Bible  and  prayer-book,  and  a  little  case  of 
court-plaster,  with  the  inscription,  *'  I  heal  all 
wounds  save  those  of  love,  "  in  large  letters  on  the 
front.  On  the  fly-leaf  of  the  Bible  and  prayer-book 
was  written,  in  the  delicate  hand  of  the  giver,  **  From 
Annie  Belle  Lee  to  her  friend  George  Monroe, 
December  12th,  18(31 . "  I  still  have  the  prayer-book 
and  the  court-plaster  case.  I  have  kept  also,  for 
remembrance  sake,  a  little  of  the  court-plaster.  The 
Bible  I  kept  until  two  A^ears  ago,  when,  in  travelling 
from  the  West  to  New  York,  ni}^  pocket-book,  con- 
taining my  tickets  and  baggage-checks,  was  stolen  ; 
and  with  my  trunk  was  lost  the  Bible  that  Annie 
Belle  had  given  me.  But  to  return  to  our  story. 
I  repeated  one  of  the  evening  prayers  from  the 
service-book  before  going  to  bed,  but  it  seemed  too 
general  for  my  special  needs  ;  so  I  framed  a  prayer 

(92) 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  93 

of  my  own,  the  burden  of  which  was  that  no  harm 
might  ever  come  to  Annie  Belle,  and  that  she  might 
always  be  happy,  and  that  we  both  might  live  to 
old  age,  and  never  cease  to  love  each  other.  It  was 
after  midnight  before  I  got  to  bed,  and  I  was  up 
early  the  next  morning,  as  the  camp  was  all  astir 
before  sun-up.  We  breakfasted  about  half-past  five 
o'clock,  and  a  little  after  six  were  ready  for  march- 
ing. But  it  takes  a  long  time  to  get  an  army  in 
motion,  especially  one  made  up  of  raw  volunteers, 
who  had  never  done  any  real  marching  before. 
As  the  sun  came  up,  the  camp  looked  very  desolate 
and  dreary.  The  tents  were  all  taken  down  and  put 
into  wagons  for  transportation,  and  what  were 
beautiful  green  meadows  when  the  army  first  en- 
camped, was  now  a  seared  and  blackened  waste, 
with  no  verdure,  and  not  even  the  shadow  of  a  fence 
for  an  enclosuse.  The  banks  of  the  river  were 
broken  and  marred,  and  its  waters  were  dark  and 
murky.  The  whole  scene  was  that  of  desolation, 
and  I  pitied  most  sincerely  the  people  whose  homes 
had  been  so  ruthlessly  despoiled  by  our  army.  As  I 
sat  on  my  horse  awaiting  orders,  I  gazed  toward  the 
uplands,  and  could  just  see  the  smoke  curling  from 


94  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

the  stately  chimneys  of  '*  Chestnut  Hill."  I  won- 
dered if  Annie  Belle  was  sleeping ;  and  then  I 
thought  again,  and  felt  quite  sure  that  she  must  be  up 
and  watching  the  movements  of  the  army.  To  my 
left,  and  near  the  river,  a  long  train  of  wagons 
drawn  hy  mules  and  loaded  with  the  camp-baggage 
and  general  supplies  for  the  army  are  just  pulling 
out  on  the  turnpike.  The  drivers  are  shouting  and 
whi'pping ;  the  roll  of  the  drums  and  the  shrill 
notes  of  the  bugle  are  calling  the  soldiers  into  line  ; 
orderlies  are  galloping  hither  and  thither,  carrying 
orders  from  the  general-in-chief  to  his  various  subor- 
dinate officers.  At  last  the  soldiers  are  all  in  line,  and 
there  sounds  out  from  the  chief  bugler  a  clear  note 
of  command,  which  means  *'  forward.  "  This  is 
repeated  by  all  the  other  bugles,  my  own  joining  in 
the  chorus  ;  the  drums  take  it  up,  and  it  goes  for- 
ward from  colonel  to  captain,  until  every  soldier  in 
the  entire  army  has  heard  the  word  "  forward." 
There  is  a  general  movement  all  along  the  line,  and 
the  bands  strike  up  "  Hail  Columbia,"  *'  The  Ked, 
White,  and  Blue,"  <'  Yankee  Doodle,"  etc.  ;  and  the 
army  moves  forward,  with  waving  banners  and  cheer 
upon  cheer  from  the  soldiers.     There  is    something 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  95 

truly  grand  in  the  appearance  of  an  army  ready  for 
battle.  It  is  a  sight,  also,  to  inspire  one  with  cour- 
age. The  cheering  of  the  soldiers,  the  waving  of 
the  flags,  and  the  lively  strains  of  the  numerous 
bands  all  united  to  drive  away  the  gloom  that  was 
settling  down  upon  me,  and  I  found  myself  feeling 
quite  cheerful,  considering  what  I  was  leaving  behind. 
We  were  with  the  commanding  general,  and  did  not 
move  until  the  army  had  been  some  time  upon  the 
road.  We  soon  overtook  it,  and  as  we  went  forward 
the  lines  opened  and  we  rode  through,  greeted 
with  hearty  cheers  from  the  soldiers.  We  were 
soon  at  the  head,  and  kept  that  position  until  we 
pitched  our  tents,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
near  the  village  of  Mumfordsville,  on  the  banks 
of  Green  River.  It  was  nightfall  before  the 
entire  army  reached  this  camping-place,  having 
marched  a  distance  of  something  more  than  twenty- 
five  miles.  We  encountered  no  enemy,  as  his  out- 
posts were  beyond  the  river. 

A  very  strange  and  pai'ticularly  sad  accident 
occurred  during  the  march,  which  I  will  relate. 
There  were  in  one  of  the  Indiana  regiments  twin 
brothers,  who   had  always  been   together,  partial- 


96  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

pating  in  each  other's  jo^^s  and  sharing  each  other's 
sorrows.  One  never  did  anything  of  any  conse- 
quence without  consulting  the  other.  When  they 
enlisted  in  the  army,  it  was  after  talking  the  matter 
over  between  themselves,  and  both  agreeing.  Their 
devotion  to  each  other  was  very  marked,  and  yet 
they  were  so  manly  withal  as  to  disarm  ridicule, 
and  they  were  esteemed  by  all  their  comrades  for 
their  soldierly  bearing.  The  army  halted  about 
noon  for  refreshments,  and  these  brothers  w^ent  to 
a  spring  hard  by  for  water.  One  of  them  Avas 
kneeling  down  to  fill  his  canteen  from  the  spring, 
when  his  bayonet-strap  caught  the  hammer  of  his 
musket  and  discharged  its  cartridge.  His  brother 
was  standing  just  in  his  rear,  and  the  ball  entered 
his  mouth  and  passed  through  his  head,  killinc:  him 
almost  instantly.  The  grief  of  the  surviving  brother 
was  most  piteous  to  behold,  and  many  a  stout- 
hearted soldier  dropped  a  tear  into  the  grave  of  the 
**  twin  brother." 

As  I  have  stated,  the  enemy's  outposts  were 
beyond  the  river  ;  but  as  this  river  could  be  ordina- 
rily crossed  by  horses,  there  was  a  constant  liability 
of  collision  between  the  pickets  and  the  reconnoiter- 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  97 

ing  parties  from  the  hostile  armies.  This  nearness 
to  the  enemy  and  liability  of  contact  with  him 
kept  the  camp  constantly  on  the  alert,  and  it  was 
altogether  more  exciting  than  in  our  previous 
quarters.  All  kinds  of  rumors  were  flying  through 
the  camp,  to  the  same  general  effect, —  that  a  battle 
was  imminent.  One  report  had  it  that  Buckner  was 
going  to  cross  the  river  about  ten  miles  above,  and 
attack  us  ;  another  rumor  had  it  that  our  army  was  to 
cross  the  river  at  the  point  of  our  present  encamp- 
ment, and  engage  Buckner  in  battle.  Nothing, 
however,  in  these  rumors  could  be  traced  to  authen- 
tic sources  ;  but  still  they  multiplied,  to  my  utter 
confusion  and  demoralization.  For  one  moment  I 
was  expecting  an  attack  upon  our  camp,  and  the 
next  I  was  called  upon  to  screw  my  courage  up  for 
an  assault  upon  the  enemy ;  and  thus  I  was  con- 
stantly vacillating  between  an  attitude  of  defence 
and  one  of  attack,  until  the  distinction  l)etween  my 
offensive  and  defensive  poise  of  mind  gradually 
faded  away,  and  I  became  completely  unstrung. 
But  it  was  the  o^eneral  belief  amono^  all  that  an 
eno^aofement  between  the  armies  would  soon  take 
place    in    some  way.     I   therefore  thought    that  I 

7 


98  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

would  defer  writing  to  Annie  Belle  until  after  the 
battle,  and  then  I  would  have  something  exciting  to 
relate.  This  excitement  came  on  the  third  nisz:ht 
after  our  encampment  upon  Green  Kiver.  I  had 
just  returned  from  a  tent  where  some  officers  and 
private  soldiers  who  had  seen  service  in  the  three- 
months'  campaign  were  relating  incidents  of  battles 
in  which  they  fought.  It  was  past  ten  o'clock  ;  the 
bugles  had  sounded  the  signal  for  retiring,  and  I 
had  just  succeeded  in  tucking  myself  "  in  my  little 
bed,"  and  was  preparing  to  dream  of  "  Chestnut 
Hill,"  and  the  image  of  a  little  girl  was  in  my  mind 
to  give  direction  to  my  fancy,  when  all  at  once  I 
concluded  that  I  did  not  want  to  sleep,  and  had  no 
disposition  to  dream,  and  I  believe  that  a  half-dozen 
bottles  of  **  grandma's  soothing-syrup  "  could  not 
have  provoked  a  single  nod  ;  I  was,  in  fact,  thor- 
oughly awake.  How  I  extricated  myself  from  the 
entanglements  of  my  little  bed  I  do  not  now 
remember,  but  the  first  thing  I  did  was  to  present 
myself  before  my  bi'other's  tent,  without  my  usual 
amount  of  wearing  apparel ;  and  the  first  word  that 
ever  dampened  my  patriotic  ardor  was  a  command 
which  came  from  my  brother,  in  rather  a  stern  and 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  99 

martial  voice, — something  like  the  tones  of  the 
military  machine  referred  to.  When  I  had  fully 
interpreted  this  command,  it  signified  that  I  was  to 
return  to  my  tent,  dress  myself,  and  report  to  him 
on  horseback,  with  my  bugle  and  side-arms.  He 
then  mounted  his  horse,  which  his  body-servant  had 
just  brought  up  in  front  of  his  tent,  and  began  to 
caution  the  soldiers  to  be  cool  and  attentive  to 
orders  ;  their  bravery,  he  said,  he  confidently  relied 
upon.  In  the  meantime  I  was  endeavoring  to  carry 
out  his  orders  to  me.  But  it  did  seem  to  me  that 
my  brother  was  mighty  authoritative  all  at  once, 
and  he  talked  to  me  as  thouo^h  I  was  oblis^ed  to  do 
what  he  commanded.  Well,  I  suppose  I  was  ;  but 
his  stern  voice  struck  me  as  being  just  a  little  out 
of  place,  considering  that  I  was  his  brother.  I  re- 
ported, however,  as  he  had  commanded,  —  mounted, 
with  buofle  and  side-arms.  Lookins:  back  throuofh 
the  vista  of  eighteen  years  at  myself,  as  I  sat  that 
night  upon  my  little  horse,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
my  toilet  was  not  so  elaborate  as  it  might  have  been 
under  other  circumstances.  I  am  sure  that  I  would 
hesitate  long  before  presenting  myself  in  a  parlor  to 
a  company  of  ladies    without  more    care  than  was 


100  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

iriven  to  mv  dress  on  that  memorable  nioht.  Durinor 
all  this  while  the  pickets  were  keeping  up  a  con- 
tinual fire,  and  the  "long  roll"  was  sounding  upon 
almost  a  hundred  drums.  The  clatter  of  all  these 
drnms,  which  sounded  very  much  like  the  rattle  of 
musketry,  made  me  think  that  a  hand-to-hand  con- 
flict was  ranins:  in  the  midst  of  the  camp.     I  had  not 

CO  i 

long  to  speculate,  however,  for  my  brother,  after 
some  effort  to  get  my  attention,  laid  his  hand  heav- 
ily upon  my  shoulder  and  ordered  me,  in  the  same 
peremptory  tone  of  voice,  to  blow  a  certain  call, 
which  signified  to  the  soldiers  that  they  were  to  form 
m  line  and  get  ready  for  action.  I  endeavored,  in 
the  true  spirit  of  a  soldier,  to  obey  my  superior 
officer,  but  I  could  not  pump  up  wind  enough. 
My  brother  remonstrated  with  me  upon  the  hazard 
attending  delay ;  but  still  the  sound  was  not  forth- 
coming. The  mouth  of  the  bugle  did  not  seem  to 
fit  my  lips  ;  I  could  not  get  it  to  stay  where  I  put 
it  ;  it  seemed  excited,  and  shook  ver}^  much.  I  was 
myself  a  little  confused  about  the  distinction  be- 
tween the  different  calls,  and  in  the  confusion  of 
the  moment,  and  without  intending  it,  I  blew  the 
"  sick  call."     This  was  a  most  ludicrous  and  mor- 


THE    LITTLK    BUGLER.  101 

tifjing  mistlike.      But    my    brother    was  not    Ju    a 
trifling  mood,  and  was  disposed  to  make  me  respon- 
sible for  the  waj^wardness  of  my  l)ugle.      He  seemed 
thoroughly    displeased,    if  not    disgusted,  with    my 
uncanny  appearance   and  Avant  of  soldierly  conduct, 
and  he  insinuated  that  I  was  not  much  of  a  soldier 
after  all.     This  put  me  on  my  metal.     I  had  by  this 
time  learned  that  the  enemy  was  not  at  least  within 
sword-thrust.      So  I  told  him  that  I  wa-wa-Avasn't 
af-af-raid,  bu-but  something  wa-was  the  matter  with 
my   bugle.     I  took  hold  of  it  again  with  a  firmer 
grip,    and    with    one    tremendous    efl*ort    blew   the 
proper  call.     Of  course,  the  other  buo'lers  were  doino- 
their  duty  all  the  time.     Our  battalion  formed  in  line, 
and  away  we  went  at  a  sweeping  gallop   down  the 
pike  road,  in  the    direction    of  the   enemy.     After 
charging  for  about  two  miles  and  a  half,  we  came  to 
a  halt,  and  formed  a  line  of  battle  by  the  roadside, 
behind   a  stone  fence.     An  officer   rode  down   the 
line,  cautionuig  the  soldiers  to    remain  as   still  as 
possible,  and  not  to  fire  iu  any   event  until  further 
orders  were  given.     We  had  not  waited  long  until 
we  distinctly  heard  the   tread   of  approaching  foot- 
men.    Tramp,    tramp,    tramp;    and  still   they  ad- 


102  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

vanced.  Now,  I  was  alarmed  lest  our  ' '  boys,"  as  the 
soldiers  were  called,  should  be  taken  at  a  disadvan- 
taofe,  and  belie vin^:  that  the  officers  were  not  usinir 
proper  precaution,  and  not  stopping  to  question 
my  right  of  command,  I  sang  out  at  the  top  of  my 
voice,  •*  Cock  your  pistols,  boys  ;  they  are  coming." 
But  the  enemy  did  not  come.  The  affair  proved  to 
be  a  false  alarm,  gotten  np  b}^  the  general  in  com- 
mand, with  a  few  other  officers,  to  test  the  courage 
of  the  army;  but  I  never  heard  the  last  of  "  cock 
your  pistols,  boys."  I  wrote  a  full  account  of  this 
affair  to  Annie  Belle,  omitting,  of  course,  any  details 
which  might  reflect  discredit  upon  my  own  martial 
dignity.  Before  sending  this  letter,  however,  we 
had  a  battle  that  proved  to  be  no  sham,  as  the  killed 
and  wounded  testified.  As  this  was  the  first  real 
battle  that  I  witnessed,  I  will  give  a  brief  account 
of  it :  — 

The  exact  position  of  the  enemy  was  not  known. 
It  was  supposed  that  his  headquarters  were  at  Bowl- 
ing Green,  a  distance  of  more  than  two  days' 
march  from  our  camp.  It  was  also  reported  that 
Buckner's  advanced  line  was  but  a  few  miles  beyond 
the  river,  and  that  he  was  prepared  to  dispute  the 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  103 

further  jidvance  of  our  jirmy.  In  order  to  find  out 
what  truth  there  was  in  this  report,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  ascertain  something  about  the  surface  of  the 
country  through  which  our  army  hoped  to  advance, 
it  was  determined  to  send  forward  a  detachment  for 
these  purposes.  An  Indiana  regiment  was  selected 
for  this  enterprise.  It  was  commanded  hy  a  colonel 
who  had  seen  service  in  the  German  Revolution. 
Two  officers  not  belonging  to  this  i-egiment  were 
selected  by  the  general  to  accompany  this  expedi- 
tion. My  brother  was  one  of  these  officers.  After 
much  special  pleading,  I  was  permitted  to  go  with 
him.  I  wished  to  have  all  the  exciting  events  I 
could  get,  to  enliven  my  correspondence  with  Annie 
Belle.  The  regiment  crossed  the  river  in  companies, 
by  means  of  a  ferry-boat  which  was  worked  by 
hand.  We  crossed  with  the  first  company,  and  after 
three  or  four  others  had  joined  us  we  began  the 
advance,  expecting  soon  to  be  reinforced  by  the  re- 
maining portion  of  the  regiment.  We  had  advanced 
but  a  short  distance  when  we  came  upon  the  enemy's 
outposts.  These  pickets  fired  and  immediately 
fell  back.  Our  battalion  pushed  on  pretty  vig- 
orously,   and    was    suddenly    confronted    by    more 


104  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

than  three  times  our  nuinl)er.  An  engagement  be- 
gan at  once.  My  brother  had  no  command,  as  he 
was  merely  sent,  or  went,  to  observe  the  manner  in 
which  the  officers  handled  their  troops  and  to  wit- 
ness the  bearing  of  the  soldiers  in  action.  He 
could  best  accomplish  his  mission  by  taking  no 
part  in  the  conflict,  and  by  occupying  a  place  of 
comparative  safety.  He  and  his  fellow-officer, 
together  with  several  others  who  had  volunteered 
to  accompany  this  expedition,  separated  themselves 
from  the  line  of  battle  and  took  a  position  on  the 
right,  where  they  had  a  good  view  of  the  engage- 
ment. I  was  among  this  number,  and  was  prepared 
at  a  moment's  notice  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat  to  the 
bank  of  the  river.  In  fact,  I  believe  that  at  the  very 
beginning  I  headed  my  horse  in  the  direction  of  the 
river,  for  I  felt  pretty  sure  that  a  retreat  would  be 
certain,  sooner  or  later.  But  it  was  astonishing  to- 
witness  the  stubborn  resistance  that  our  troops  made 
to  these  superior  numbers.  When  they  were  com- 
pelled to  retreat,  they  did  it  reluctantly  and  in  good 
order,  firing  as  they  slowly  fell  back  towards  the 
river.  They  were,  however,  soon  reinforced  by  the 
remainder  of  the  reg-iment,  which  came  forward  on 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  105 

the  double-quick,  were  soon  in  line,  and  gave  a  sud- 
den check  to  the  advance  of  the  enemy.  The  fight- 
ing was  now  renewed  with  twofold  vigor,  as  the 
numbers  were  nearer  equal.  Suddenly  there  was 
heard  a  shout  from  the  left  of  tlie  enemy's  line,  and 
on  looking  in  that  direction  we  saw  a  column  of 
horsemen  moving  down  upon  our  flank.  This 
caused  us  spectators  to  change  our  position,  for 
these  troopers  were  bearing  down  right  upon  us. 
We  quickly  sought  the  rear,  which  was  considered  a 
better  place  for  our  observations.  The  German 
colonel  was  equal  to  the  emergency.  He  quickly 
formed  his  men  into  a  hollow  square  with  four  fronts, 
so  that  he  really  had  no  rear  nor  flank.  On  came 
the  cavalry,  yelling  like  madmen  ;  but  this  did  not 
seem  to  terrify  the  "  Hoosier  boys."  They  stood  up 
to  the  work  in  a  most  determined  way,  and  the  dash- 
ing troopers  were  compelled  to  pause  a  little  in  their 
mad  career.  But  on  they  came  again,  — and  again 
they  halted.  This  advance  and  retreat  of  the  cavalry 
was  repeated  three  distinct  times,  and  still  the 
*'Hoosiers"  held  their  ground,  until  at  last  the 
enemy  withdrew,  and  our  troops  were  permitted  to 
take  up  their  dead  and  wounded  and  retire  in  good 


106  THE    LITTLE   BUGLER. 

order  to  the  banks  of  the  river,  where  they  were 
under  the  protection  of  our  cannon,  planted  on  the 
opposite  side.  I  had  seen  a  real,  and  as  the  Southern 
negroes  say,  a  '*  sure  enough  "  battle,  and  I  was  not 
scared  nearly  so  bad  as  I  had  been  on  the  night  of  the 
false  alarm.  There  was  something  so  exciting,  so 
really  fascinating,  about  the  charge  and  the  repulse, 
the  rattle  of  the  musketr}^,  the  boom  of  the  cannon, 
the  flash  of  the  sabres,  and  the  shouts  of  the  sol- 
diers, that  one  almost  forgot  for  the  time  that  at 
every  peal  of  the  cannon  and  every  discharge  of  the 
musketry,  brave  men  on  both  sides  were  falling, 
gasping,  and  dying.  The  colonel  had  handled  his 
regiment  superbly,  and  the  soldiers  had  all  behaved 
with  a  cool  bravery  which  would  have  done  credit  to 
veterans  of  a  dozen  campaigns.  The  enemy  had 
fought  with  equal  bravery.  The  cavalry  were  very 
daring ;  three  times  did  they  spur  their  horses 
against  the  firm  steel  of  the  "  Hoosier"  bayonets. 
This  preliminary  engagement  convinced  both  armies 
that  they  had  a  foe  to  contend  with  which  was  in 
every  way  their  equal.  I  gave  an  account  of  this 
battle  in  my  letter  to  Annie  Belle.  My  brother  was 
better   pleased  with   my  conduct    on  this   occasion 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  107 

than  he  had  been  at  the  time  of  the  midnight  charge 
and  the  false  alarm.  He  told  me  that  I  might 
make  a  soldier  after  all. 

Nothing  particular  occurred  for  the  next  fortnight. 
I  received  in  the  meantime  a  letter  with  the  following 
address  :  '*  George  Monroe,  the  Little  Bugler,  in  care 
of  Major  Monroe,  Headquarters  Centre  Division  of 
the  Army  of  Kentucky."  This,  you  see,  was  a  very 
lengthy  address,  and  covered  almost  the  entire  en- 
velope, but  it  was  all  necessary  to  insure  its  safe 
carriage  and  delivery.  I  shall  insert  an  extract  from 
this  letter  :  *'  Yes,  you  were  right  in  thinking  that 
I  was  up  very  early  that  morning  you  all  left  the 
camp,  and  watching  the  movements  of  the  army. 
Aunt  Josie  [Miss  Lee]  slept  with  me  that  night,  and 
talked  me  to  sleep.  She  said  a  great  many  nice 
things  about  you,  and  I  know  she  likes  you  very 
much.  She  is  just  as  lonely  as  she  can  be.  I  awoke 
in  the  morning  about  four  or  five  o'clock,  and  could 
just  hear  the  notes  of  the  bugles  and  the  sound  of 
the  drums  from  the  camp.  I  imagined  that  I  could 
hear  your  bugle  distinct  from  the  others,  and  it 
seemed  to  say  *  Good-bye,  Annie  Belle, —  good-bye, 
Annie  Belle.'  I  sat  for  a  long  time  looking  out  of 
the  window,  and  could  see  the  fires  as  they  blazed  up 


108  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

all  over  the  camp.  The  sight  was  very  beautiful ;  and 
Aunt  Josie  got  up  also.  She  said  that  it  was  as  sol- 
emn as  it  was  beautiful,  for  this  army  would  soon  be 
carrying  the  work  of  death  and  destruction  into  many 
a  happy  Southern  home.  We  sat  looking  out  of  the 
window  until  the  sun  came  up.  The  tents  were  all 
gone  and  the  camp  was  entirely  deserted,  and  I 
am  sure  I  felt  very  desolate.  AVe  could  just  see  the 
army  as  it  formed  in  line  and  marched  away.  Oh, 
what  a  dreadful  thing  war  is  !  I  pray  every  night 
that  it  may  cease,  and  that  all  the  people,  North 
and  South,  may  be  friends  again.  It  is  perfectly 
awful  to  think  of  your  brother  and  Uncle  Will  l)eing 
on  opposite  sides  and  fighting  against  each  other. 
I  know  they  would  like  each  other  if  they  could 
know  each  other.  Oh,  I  should  think  you  would 
be  awfully  scared  to  be  waked  out  of  your  sleep  in 
the  night,  expecting  every  moment  to  be  shot.  I 
wouldn't  stay  in  the  army  if  I  were  you,  for  your 
brother  said  you  need  not  stay  if  you  did  not  want 
to.  But  bovs  are  not  a  bit  like  o^irls  ;  thev  seem  to 
like  anything  that  is  dangerous.  I  am  glad  that  it 
was  a  *  false  alarm,'  but  I  would  have  been  just  as 
much  frightened  as  if  it  had  been  a  real  battle  ;  but 
the  real  battle  did  come.     Oh,  how  awful  it  must 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  109 

be  to  see  poor  soldiers  shot  right  down  before  your 
eyes.  I  am  so  afraid  that  you  will  get  hurt.  Your 
brother  said  that  you  need  not  go  into  the  battle, 
and  1  wish  you  would  not.  If  you  were  to  get  hurt, 
you  would  have  to  lay  in  the  tent  with  the  other  sol- 
diers, and  have  no  one  but  the  rough  men  nurses 
to  take  care  of  you.  I  send  you  a  piece  of  my  new 
dress,  and  also  of  Aunt  Josie's.  The  sergeant  and 
Aunt  Coal  send  their  love  to  you.  You  spoke  about 
the  donkey :  it  is  as  gloomy-looking  as  ever,  and 
frequently  gives  us  one  of  its  doleful  sounds. 
They  all  send  love  to  j^ou  and  your  brother.  Aunt 
Josie  says  for  me  to  tell  you  that  she  is  taking  good 
care  of  me  for  you.  We  are  expecting  a  letter  from 
Uncle  Will  [Capt.  Graves]  giving  an  account  of  the 
battle  you  wrote  about,  as  his  regiment  was  engaged 
in  it." 


CHAPTER     VI. 

The  army  remained  in  camp  on  Green  River  until 
about  the  middle  of  February,  when  a  general 
advance  was  made  upon  Bowling  Green.  Buckner, 
with  about  half  of  his  army,  had  gone  to  Fort  Don- 
elson  to  reinforce  Gens.  Floyd  and  Pillow.  This 
fort  was  threatened  with  an  attack  from  Gen.  Grant, 
who  had  just  taken  Fort  Henry.  This  division  of 
Buckner' s  army  reduced  the  defence  of  Bowling 
Green  to  about  fourteen  thousand  soldiers,  who 
were  unable  to  withstand  an  army  of  thirty  thou- 
sand strong.  Our  army  therefore  occupied  Bowling 
Green,  after  but  a  slight  resistance  by  the  now 
weakened  enemy.  On  the  march  to  Bowling  Green 
we  passed  the  Mammoth  Cave,  which  I  explored  in 
company  with  my  brother.  But  I  shall  not  weary 
the  reader  with  a  description  of  this  wonderful 
cave,  as  it  is  in  no  way  essential  to  my  story,  and 
if  I  were  to  narrate  all  the  events  that  were  more  or 
less  exciting,  my  story,  I  fear,  would  be  too  long 
drawn  out.     Our  army  made  but  a  short  pause  at 

(110) 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  Ill 

Bowling  Green,  and  passed  on  toward  Nashville. 
One  division  was  sent  to  aid  Gen.  Grant  in  his 
attack  upon  Fort  Donelson,  but  it  arrived  too  late  to 
be  of  any  assistance,  as  the  battle  had  been  fought, 
the  victory  won,  and  Gen.  Buckner  with  about 
thirteen  thousand  of  his  brave  men  were  prisoners 
of  war.  Gens.  Pillow  and  Floyd  had  run  away,  and 
left  the  brave  Buckner  to  surrender  the  fort.  The 
fall  of  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson  left  Nashville 
with  little  defence,  and  it  surrendered  without  any 
show  of  resistance,  and  our  army  marched  in 
triumph  through  its  streets.  The  news  of  the  fall 
of  Fort  Donelson  reached  Nashville  on  Sunday 
morning;  many  of  the  people  were  at  church, 
when  suddenly  messengers  entered  the  various 
places  of  worship,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  services 
shouted  aloud  that  "  Fort  Donelson  had  sur- 
rendered, and  the  Yankee  army  would  soon  be  in 
possession  of  the  city."  This  was  truly  a  sad  hour 
for  the  people  of  Nashville.  But  a  short  time  before 
they  had  sent  forth  the  brave  and  handsome  Zolli- 
coffer,  with  a  valiant  and  hopeful  army  of  Ten- 
nessee's best  blood.  It  was  confidently  expected 
that  this  army  would  soon  drive  the  Yankees  beyond 


112  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

the  Ohio  River  and  carry  the  war  into  the  homes 
of  their  enemy.  But  within  a  few  short  weeks  after 
his  going  forth,  their  gallant  Gen.  Zollicoffer's  dead 
body  was  borne  through  the  streets  which  he  had  so 
recently  trod  with  bright  expectations  of  speedy 
victory.  His  beautiful  daughters  were  broken- 
hearted, and  the  entire  city  was  now  wrapped  in  the 
heavy  weeds  of  mourning,  for  with  their  beloved 
general,  and  at  Fort  Donelson,  had  fallen  hundreds 
of  the  brave  sons  of  Tennessee.  Mothers,  wives,  and 
maidens  wept  the  loss  of  loved  ones,  and  "would 
not  be  comforted,  because  they  were  not."  Misfor- 
tunes had  come  upon  them  with  rapid  strides,  from 
the  death  of  Gen.  ZoUicoffer,  the  fall  of  Forts 
Henry  and  Donelson,  until  now  they  beheld  the  army 
which  had  defeated  their  brave  sons  marching  in 
triumph  through  the  streets  that  had  but  a  short 
time  before  resounded  to  the  hopeful  tread  of  their 
own  valiant  army.  The  sorrow  which  enveloped 
this  city  made  me  also  feel  sick  at  heart,  for  I 
thought  of  the  good  and  beautiful  Miss  Lee,  and 
feared  that  her  lover,  Capt.  Graves,  might  be 
among  the  killed  or  wounded.  We  can  all  forgive 
the  Southern  women  for  the  intense   hatred   with 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  113 

which  they  looked  upon  our  soldiers,  when  we  re- 
member that  they  saw  in  the   national  army   the 
slayers  of  their  husbands,  their  brothers,  and  their 
lovers,  and  the  despoilers  of  their  homes,  —  in  a 
word,  the   destroyers  of    all  they  held   dear.     On 
the  approach  of  our  army  to  the  city,  the  bridges 
were  burned  and  all  the  public  stores  were  thrown 
open  to  the   people.     Valuables  of  all  kinds  were 
hurried  away    in   the  direction    of  the    retreatino- 
army.     Few  of   the   male  population  remained  in 
the  city,  and  the  majority  of  those  who  did  were  old 
men  and  boys  unable  to  do  military  duty.     While 
in  Nashville,  my  brother  and  I  had  apartments  in  a 
private  house  that  had  been  deserted  by  its  owner. 
We  took  our  meals  at  the  St.  Cloud  Hotel,  where 
many  of  the  officers  boarded.     One  day  a  tall,  awk- 
ward-looking countryman  came  into  the  dining-room 
with  one  of  the  generals,  and  sat  with  him  at  our 
table.     The    countryman  said  that   he  lived  about 
fifteen  miles  in  the  country,  towards  Murfreesboro. 
He  heard  that  the  Union  army  had  taken  Nashville, 
and  he  told  his  wife  that  he  felt  he  ought  to  do 
something  towards  helping  the  Union  cause  along; 
so  he  yoked  his  oxen,  and  had  brought  a  wagon-load 

8 


114  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

of  breads  tuffs  for  the  army.     He  said  that  it  wasn't 
much  to  give,  but  it  was  all  he  had.    The  **  widow's 
mite  "  was  mentioned  by  some  one,  but  the  country- 
man was  very  modest,  and  said  he  hardly  thought 
the  cases  parallel.     But  the  other  speaker  insisted 
that  his  gift  was  truly  the  *'  widow's  mite."     I  was 
greatly  interested  in  all  he  said,  for  he  was  quite  a 
handsome  man,  with  remarkably  fine  eyes  ;  and  he 
asked  me  several   questions    about   myself.     After 
dinner  he  went  with  one  of  the  officers  to  his  tent, 
and  told  him  if  he  would  send  out  a  body  of  cavalry 
to  where  he  would  direct,  that  they  could  capture  a 
company  of  rebels  who  belonged  to  John  Morgan's 
command.     The  soldiers  were  sent  the  next  day, 
and  were  promptly  met  by  this  countryman,  but  in 
the  uniform  of    a  Confederate  officer  and   at   the 
head  of  a  fine  body  of  cavalry.     Our  soldiers  were 
all  made   prisoners   by   this  friendly  countryman, 
who  proved  to  be  no   less    a   person    than   John 
Morgan  himself.     This  Gen.  Morgan  became  very 
famous  durino^  the  war  as  a  bold  rider  and  darinsf 
raider.     He  was  the  only  Southern  officer  who  led  a 
force  beyond  the  Ohio  River.    In  going  to  and  from 
our  hotel,  we  passed  a  handsome  dwelling,  which 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  115 

had  the  **air  of  aristocratic  age"  about  it,  and  we 
occasionally  saw  pretty  female  faces  at  the  windows, 
which  indicated  that  it  was  occupied  by  a  fnmily. 
One  brio^ht  mornins:  I  was  returninij:  alone  from  the 
hotel,  when  I  was  approached  by  a  negro  woman  in 
front  of  this  residence.  After  an  obsequious  bow, 
the  woman  presented  a  card,  upon  which  was  written 
the  following,  *'  Mrs.  Gaines  would  be  glad  to  see 
the  soldier-boy  at  her  residence,  as  she  wishes  to 
have  a  talk  with  him.  Will  he  please  tell  the  bearer 
when  he  can  call  ?  "  I  tore  a  leaf  from  my  note- 
book and  wrote,  **  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  Mrs. 
Gaines  for  her  kind,  courtesy,  and  shall  be  glad  to 
call  this  evening  at  eight  o'clock.  Very  sincerely, 
George  Monroe,  bugler."  I  was  pleased  with 
the  idea  that  I  was  to  extend  my  acquaintance 
among  the  Southern  ladies,  as  I  was  so  much  de- 
lighted with  those  I  had  already  seen.  I  presented 
my  card  at  the  appointed  time,  and  was  greeted  in 
the  hearty  manner  so  characteristic  of  the  Southern 
people.  But  in  spite  of  their  efforts  to  be  cheerful, 
their  deep  sorrow  was  plainly  visible.  Mrs.  Gaines 
thanked  me  for  calling.  She  then  stated  why  she 
had  wished  to  talk  with  me.     Since  the  entrance 


116  THE    LITTLE   BUGLER. 

of  the  Northern  army  into  the  city,  she  and  her 
daughters  had  remained  constantly  in-doors.  They 
had  expected  at  first  to  be  driven  from  their  homes  ! 
but  they  had  suffered  no  violence  nor  insult  what- 
ever, and  they  began  to  feel  that  they  were  not 
going  to  be  molested  in  any  way.  This  made  her 
think  better  of  the  Northern  army ;  but  still  she 
knew  nothing  about  the  army,  save  that  its  good 
conduct  thus  far  had  taken  away  much  of  the  bit- 
terness with  which  they  had  at  first  regarded  the 
Federal  soldiers.  She  was  ignorant  as  to  what  the 
general  in  command  intended  to  do  with  the  private 
property  in  the  city.  They  had  often  seen  me  pass 
the  house  in  company  with  an  oflicer,  and  they 
thought  I  might  be  able  to  tell  them  something 
about  Northern  prisoners,  as  her  only  son  had  been 
captured  at  Fort  Donelson.  They  were  also  a  little 
curious  to  know  what  a  boy  of  my  age  could  do  in 
the  army.  They  were  very  anxious  to  learn  what 
kind  of  treatment  Southern  prisoners  received  in 
the  North.  I  assured  her  that  her  son  would  receive 
such  treatment  at  the  hands  of  the  Northern  people 
as  was  due  to  an  honorable  prisoner  of  war.  I 
said  also  that  the    o^eneral   in   command   at  Nash- 


THE   LITTLE    BUGLER.  H? 

ville  had  issued  a  proclamation,  in  which  lie   stated 
that  all  private  property  would  be  protected.     After 
this    the    conversation     became    more  general,    in 
which  the  young  ladies  took  part.      They  asked  me 
many  questions  about  my  home  and  friends,  and  how 
I  liked  the  camp  life.     These  questions  were  asked 
in  the  kindliest  manner ;  not  from  mere  curiosity, 
as  I  could  plainly  see,  but  from   a  real  interest  in 
me.    I  answered  them  without  any  reserve,  and  our 
conversation    throughout    was    frank   and    earnest. 
They  all  felt,  I  am  sure,  that  I  was  truly  in  sympa- 
thy with  them,  without  me  telling  them  so  ;  but  I 
did  not  betray  the  secret  of  this  sympathy  :  I  merely 
said  that  some  friends  of  mine  had  dear  friends  in 
Gen.  Buckner's  army,    and  that    I    was  concerned 
about  their  safety.     I  repeated  the  lesson  that  Miss 
Lee  had  taught  Annie  Belle  and  me,    viz.  :     that 
our  circumstances  usually  determine  our  opinions 
and    sympathies.     They  all  assented  to  this ;  but 
Mrs.   Gaines  added,  that  while  this  was  true,  our 
opinions  and  sympathies  were  none  the  less  power- 
ful in  directing  our  actions  and  inspiring  our  lives. 
I  spent  more  than  an  hour  with  this  family,  and  on 
leaving,  was  cordially  invited  to  visit  them  as  often 


118  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

as  I  felt  inclined.  There  were  four  in  the  family,  — 
Mrs.  Gaines,  her  two  daughters,  and  a  little  grand- 
daughter about  nine  years  old.  The  elder  of  the 
young  ladies  was  about  twenty,  and  the  younger 
about  eighteen.  Neither  of  them  was  in  any  sense 
plain-looking,  and  the  younger  was  really  a 
very  beautiful  brunette,  with  large  brown  eyes, 
that  could  easily  play  the  mischief  with  a  fellow's 
heart  "if  he  were  not  well  protected  by  the  shield 
of  some  other  woman's  love."  (This  quotation,  it 
will  be  remembered,  is  the  language  of  my  brother.) 
I  sat  for  m}'  picture  the  next  day.  I  sent  two  of  them 
home,  one  to  **  Chestnut  Hill,"  and  intended  to 
give  one  to  Mrs.  Gaines  if  she  should  ask  me  for 
it.  That  night  we  received  marching  orders,  and  I 
had  time  but  for  only  a  short  call  the  next  day  at 
Mrs.  Gaines's.  I  did  not  wait  to  be  asked  for  my 
picture,  as  I  had  intended,  but  offered  it  outright  to 
the  prettier  of  the  young  ladies,  and  asked  for  her's 
in  exchange.  She  received  my  picture  with  some 
show  of  pleasure,  and  said  she  would  gladly  give 
me  her's  if  I  would  promise  not  to  let  any  of  the 
soldiers  see  it  except  my  brother.  I  promised,  and 
have  the  picture  yet.     We  were  at  Nashville  about 


THE   LITTLE   BUGLER.  119 

a  month  ;  during  that  time  I  wrote  to  Annie  Belle, 
and  received  a  letter  from  her,  weekly.  Her  last  was 
a  very  sad  one,  as  the  following  extract  from  it  will 
show  :  **  We  have  just  received  a  letter  from  Uncle 
Will.  He  is  wounded  and  a  prisoner.  Poor  Aunt 
Josie  cannot  sleep  nor  eat,  and  grandma  is  not  able 
to  leave  her  bed.  I  have  not  had  one  real  happy 
day  since  you  left,  and  I  don't  believe  that  I  can 
have  another  so  long  as  the  dreadful  war  lasts  ;  for 
when  the  Northern  army  is  victorious  I  grieve  for 
grandpa  and  my  uncles,  and  when  the  Southern 
army  gains  a  victory  I  grieve  for  you  and  your 
brother."  Poor  little  girl  I  her  lot  was  certainly  a 
sad  one. 

The  enemy  was  getting  together  a  large  army 
at  Corinth,  in  Northern  Mississippi,  under  the  direct 
supervision  of  Gen.  Albert  Sidney  Johnson,  the 
commander-in-chief  of  the  Confederate  armies. 
Corinth  was  therefore  made  the  objective  point  of 
Grant's  and  Buell's  armies,  which  were  to  form  a 
junction  at  Savannah,  Tennessee,  before  moving  up- 
on the  enemy.  Gen.  Negley  was  left  in  command 
of  Nashville  with  a  strong  garrison,  while  the 
main   body   of    Buell's   army,    consisting    of    five 


120  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

divisions,  tooK  up  its  march  for  Savannah,  by  way 
of  Columbia.  These  divisions  were  commanded  by 
Gens.  Thomas,  McCook,  Nelson,  Crittenden,  and 
Wood.  We  left  Nashville  on  the  2Sth  of  March, 
and  I  was  in  the  saddle  about  ten  hours  each  day  for 
eio^ht  successive  davs.  The  weather  was  fine,  we 
had  plenty  of  provisions,  and  the  soldiers  were  in 
the  best  of  spirits.  On  the  eighth  day  of  our 
march,  which  was  Saturday,  April  5th,  the 
army  bivouacked  within  about  fifteen  miles  of 
Savannahc  It  was  the  intention,  I  believe,  to  give 
the  army  a  Sabbath  day's  rest,  as  no  immediate 
battle  was  expected.  But  early  on  Sunday  morning, 
before  the  "  reveille  "  had  been  sounded,  cannon- 
adins:  was  distinctlv  heard  in  the  direction  of 
Grant's  army,  which  was  encamped  a  few  miles 
below  Savannah,  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  Ten- 
nessee River.  Orders  were  at  once  given  for  a 
forward  march,  and  iu  a  short  time  the  whole  army 
was  in  motion.  Gen.  Buell  and  staff  hurried  to 
Savannah  to  see  Gen.  Grant,  but  Gen.  Grant  had 
gone  to  the  battle-field,  about  eight  miles  away.  As 
we  approached  nearer  and  nearer,  the  roll  of  cannon 
and   the    rattle    of    musketry   gave     unmistakable 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  121 

evidence  that  a  terrific  battle  was  rao:inor.  Our 
division  reached  the  bank  of  the  river  opposite  the 
battle-ground  late  in  the  afternoon.  One  could  see 
at  a  glance  that  the  situation  of  Grant's  army  was 
most  perilous.  It  had  been  surprised  and  driven  at 
every  point,  and  its  total  destruction  seemed  certain 
without  immediate  reinforcements.  This  BuelFs 
army  brought ;  but  it  was  not  an  inspiring  sight  to 
our  soldiers  to  behold  Grant's  army  beaten  and 
shattered,  and  a  victorious  and  confident  enemy  to 
meet  them.  Nelson's  and  Crittenden's  divisions 
reached  the  battle-field  and  got  ready  for  action  on 
Sunday  afternoon ;  McCook  and  the  remainder  of 
Buell's  army  came  up  and  crossed  during  the  night, 
and  in  the  morning  his  entire  army  was  in  line 
of  battle,  ready  to  give  the  confident  foe  a  warm  re- 
ception. But  I  shall  not  attempt  to  give  an  account 
of  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  or  Pittsburg  Landing. 
Everybody  knows  what  a  terrible  battle  it  was, 
and  how  Buell's  timely  arrival  saved  the  day  to  the 
national  cause.  I  will,  however,  give  the  *'  little 
bugler's"  personal  experience  in  this  great  battle. 
We  crossed  the  river  about  five  o'clock  on  Sunday 
afternoon,    and  took    our    position    in  the  left  of 


122  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

Buell's  line  of  battle.  I  did  not  sleep  one  wink 
that  night,  for  we  were  right  on  the  battle-field,  with 
the  dead  and  wounded  lying  all  about  us.  I  knew 
that  another  terrible  battle  would  be  fought  on  the 
morrow,  and  I  hardly  dared  to  hope  that  myself  and 
brother  would  both  escape  unharmed.  My  brother 
said  that  it  was  not  at  all  necessary  for  me  to  expose 
myself  in  battle,  and  he  asked  me  to  ride  a  short 
distance  to  the  rear  and  remain  under  the  protection 
of  the  gunboats.  He  was  always  very  kind  and 
gentle  towards  me,  but  his  words  were  unusually 
tender  that  night,  as  we  sat  there  on  our  horses,  with 
the  dead  and  wounded  lying  on  either  hand .  I  said 
that  I  wanted  to  be  with  him.  He  replied  that  it 
would  distress  him  very  much  if  I  did  not  promise 
to  remain  where  he  had  directed.  I  promised.  We 
then  talked  about  home,  and  he  said  that  if  any 
serious  accident  happened  to  him  I  would  get  a 
permit  to  go  home  at  once,  and  he  made  me 
promise  that  I  would  do  so.  He  said  that  I  must  in 
that  event  remain  with  our  mother,  and  do  all  in 
my  power  to  comfort  her.  He  gave  me  some  other 
good  counsel,  and  was  then  called  away  to  his  post 
of  duty.     On  leaving  me,  his  last  words  were,  **  Be 


THE    LITTLE   BUGLER.  125 

a  brave,  true  boy,  and  you  will  grow  up  to  be  a 
good  and  useful  man,  and  all  things  will  go  well 
with  you."  Oh  !  the  sadness  that  filled  my  young 
heart  as  I  sat  there  awaiting  the  coming  of  morning, 
that  would  bring  with  it  a  terrible  battle,  in  which 
my  brother's  life  was  to  be  exposed.  The  en- 
gagement began  before  sunrise,  and  in  a  short  time 
the  whole  line  —  four  or  ^ye  miles  long  —  was 
sending  forth  missiles  of  destruction  and  death.  I 
watched  with  great  anxiety  that  part  of  the  line 
where  I  knew  my  brother  was.  It  began  to  advance 
slowly,  and  I  could  hear  the  soldiers  cheering  as 
they  pushed  the  enemy  steadily  before  them.  They 
pressed  on  and  on,  until  the  advance  became 
general  all  along  the  line.  The  fighting  was  most 
terrific,  and  the  wounded  were  beino^  brouo^ht  to  the 
rear  in  great  numbers.  Among  the  wounded  officers 
I  saw  one  whom  I  knew,  and  inquired  if  he  knew 
anything  of  my  brother.  He  replied  that  *' Major 
Monroe  had  borne  himself  most  bravely,  but ' ' —  and 
he  hesitated,  either  from  pain  caused  by  his  wound, 
or  from  an  unwillingness  to  be  the  bearer  of  sad 
news  ;  I  for  the  moment  did  not  know  which.  I  did 
not  urge  him  in  words,  but  my  steadfast  and  eager 


126  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

look  into  his  face  showed  too  plainly  my  feelings  of 
alarm.  **  My  dear  boy,"  he  continued,  "  your 
brave  brother  is,  I  hope,  unharmed  ;  but  just  before 
I  received  my  wound  I  saw  his  horse  fall  under  him 
as  he  was  leading  his  command  forward  ;  that  is  all 
I  am  able  to  report."  At  this  moment  loud  cheers 
from  our  centre-lines  indicated  that  the  enemy  was 
being  driven  also  at  that  point,  and  soon  the  news 
came  pouring  in  from  all  directions  that  the  day  was 
ours.  I  had  been  with  the  annv  lonsr  enousfh  to 
know  the  colors  of  the  several  divisions,  so  I  started 
out  in  search  of  my  brother.  I  knew  that  he  was 
on  the  left  of  Buell's  line,  so  I  rode  in  that  direc- 
tion. I  passed  over  the  ground  where  the  battle  had 
been  most  severe.  It  was  a  terrible  and  heart-rend- 
ins:  siffht.  The  s^round  was  literallv  strewn  with 
the  dead  and  wounded.  As  I  rode  on,  some  of 
the  wounded  recognized  the  "little  bugler,"  and 
called  out  for  help.  One  poor  fellow  whom  I  knew 
quite  well,  and  who  had  lost  a  leg,  gave  me  a  feeble 
cheer  as  I  approached  him,  and  said  that  the 
**  Johnnies  "  were  skedaddling,  and  that  Buell's  boys 
had  gained  the  day(  ?)  I  asked  if  he  knew  anything 
about  my  brother.     He  replied  that  he  did  not,  but 


THE   LITTLE   BUGLER.  127 

supposed  that  he  was  after  the  **  Johnnies. '*  A 
comrade  had  bound  a  handkerchief  about  this  poor 
fellow's  leg,  and  supplied  him  with  a  canteen  of 
water ;  so  that  he  was  pretty  well  cared  for.  He 
said  that  he  was  all  right,  and  could  remain  where 
he  was  for  twenty-four  hours  if  necessary.  The 
din  of  battle  had  almost  ceased  by  this  time,  and  our 
troops  had  retaken  all  of  the  ground  lost  on  Sunday. 
I  urged  my  horse  forward,  and  was  soon  upon  the 
line  of  battle  ;  but  the  battle  was  now  over  and  the 
enemy  had  retreated.  The  soldiers  of  our  division 
all  knew  me,  and  cheered  me  lustily  as  I  passed 
along  the  line.  They  of  course  supposed  that  I 
had  been  in  the  battle.  I  saw  a  group  of  officers 
talking  together,  and  rode  directly  to  where  they 
were,  when  one  of  them  came  out  to  meet  me  ;  it 
was  my  brother.  I  did  not  recognize  him  at  first,  as 
he  had  exchanged  his  cap  for  a  broad-brimmed  hat, 
and  was  mounted  upon  a  bay  instead  of  his  black 
charger.  I  said  that  I  had  kept  my  promise  until 
the  danger  was  over.  He  did  not  rebuke  me,  but 
seemed  glad  to  see  me,  and  said,  **  George,  we  have 
won  a  glorious,  though  a  dearly  bought  victory. 
It  is  a  terrible  thing  for  a  boy  of  your  age  to  witness 


128  THE   LITTLE   BUGLER. 

this  slaughter,  and  I  trust  it  will  not  blunt  your 
tender  sensibilities."  Many  officers  and  private 
soldiers  whom  I  knew,  were  among  the  killed  and 
wounded.  One  of  my  brother's  classmates,  an  of- 
ficer of  whom  I  was  particularly  fond,  was  shot 
down  at  my  brother's  side.  He  was  a  gentle,  kind- 
hearted  man,  and  his  death  was  felt  very  much  by 
his  comrades.  My  brother's  horse  had  been  killed, 
as  the  wounded  officer  reported  ;  a  ball  had  also 
passed  through  his  coat,  just  under  his  left  arm,  but 
he  had  escaped  without  a  scratch.  My  brother 
sent  a  telegraphic  message  home  the  next  day  re- 
porting our  safety,  as  he  knew  our  friends  would  be 
anxious  about  us.  Corinth  fell  within  a  few  days, 
after  some  show  of  resistance.  The  Confederate 
army  succeeded,  however,  in  getting  away.  The 
Confederate  general,  A.  S.  Johnson,  was  killed  in 
this  battle,  and  his  body  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
national  army.  The  Confederate  army  at  the  battle 
of  Shiloh  was  remarkable  as  having  been  com- 
manded by  the  most  brilliant  galaxy  of  Southern 
generals  that  ever  met  together  on  one  battle-field. 
Gen.  Albert  Sidney  Johnson  was  the  first  in  com- 
mand, Beauregard  second,  and  then  came  the  names 


THE   LITTLE   BUGLER. 


129 


of  Gens.  Bragg,  Hardee,  Breckenriclge  (recent  vice- 
president  of  the  United  States),  and  Polk  (Episcopal 
bishop),  who  had  laid  aside  the  "cassock"  for  the 
sword.  I  had  now  seen  war  in  all  of  its  terrors,  and 
my  curiosity  was  completely  satisfied.  I  wished  to 
be  away  from  those  scenes  of  blood  and  death.  I 
was  anxious  to  visit  my  home,  as  it  had  been  six  long 
months  since  I  had  seen  my  mother  and  sister.  I 
thought  it  necessary  to  go  through  the  form  of 
applying  for  a  <' leave  of  absence,"  which  was 
granted  without  any  hesitation  by  the  general  in 
command . 


CHAPTER  VII. 

I  started  northward  about  the  12th  of  April,  on 
board  of  a  hospital-boat  loaded  with  wounded  sol- 
diers, and  bound  for  Louisville,  Kentucky.  I  knew 
that  this  boat,  in  going  up  the  Ohio  Eiver,  would 
pass  by  our  old  camping-place,  and  I  determined  to 
go  ashore  at  that  point  and  visit  ''  Chestnut  Hill," 
and  continue  my  journey  homeward  by  rail.  The 
captain  of  the  boat  had  strict  orders  to  make  no 
landing,  except  for  coal  and  other  necessary  sup- 
plies. These  orders  were  given  from  the  fact  that 
Kentucky  was  at  that  time  overrun  by  raiding  par- 
ties of  Confederate  cavalry,  and  the  boats  on  the 
Ohio  River  were  sometimes  captured  and  burned. 
I  could  not,  therefore,  persuade  the  captain  to  land, 
but  when  we  drew  near  our  old  camping-place  he 
consented  to  send  me  ashore  in  a  row-boat.  My 
bairsrao^e  was  to  be  left  for  me  at  the  Gait  House, 
in  Louisville.  So  I  was  put  ashore  at  old  "  Camp 
Buell."  But  the  scene  was  very  different  from 
what  it    had  been.     There  I  was,  all    alone,  —  no 


THE   LITTLE    BUGLER.  131 

tents,  no  camp-fires,  no  horses,  no  soldiers.  It 
was  the  time  for  mounting  the  guard  ;  but  I  heard 
no  bugle-note,  no  roll  of  the  drums,  no  military 
command.  I  sat  down  on  a  little  mound  near 
the  place  where  my  brother's  tent  had  been, 
and  fell  to  thinking  of  all  that  had  happened 
since  our  army  left  that  camp.  Where  were  all 
those  merry  soldiers,  whose  laugh  and  song  had  so 
often  rung  out  upon  the  evening  air?  Then  I  re- 
membered the  march, — the  twm  brothers,  the 
false  alarm,  the  first  real  battle.  Fort  Donelson, 
Nashville,  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  —  and  my  heart  grew 
sick  as  the  visions  of  the  bloody  battle-fields  passed 
before  me.  My  questioning  was  answered  ;  hun- 
dreds of  the  brave  fellows  who  once  lay  peacefully 
upon  this,  their  first  camping-ground,  were  now 
lying  peacefully  in  soldiers'  graves,  far  away  from 
their  homes  and  friends.  The  notes  of  the  bugle, 
the  roll  of  the  drum,  and  the  command  of  the  offi- 
cer were  alike  powerless  to  disturb  their  slumbers. 
They  slept  on,  and  I  could  say  to  each  of  them  :  — 

*'  Soldier,  rest,  thy  warfare's  o'er,  — 

Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  no  waking ; 
Dream  of  battle-fields  no  more,  — 
Days  of  danger,  nights  of  waking." 


132  THE   LITTLE   BUGLER. 

I  was  aroused  from  this  reverie  by  a  most  melo- 
dious sound,  which  came  floating  along  upon  the 
quiet  evening  air.  I  stood  up  and  looked  around, 
and  saw,  coming  down  the  road  towards  where  I 
was  standing,  a  company  of  slaves,  old  and  3'oung, 
male  and  female.  They  were  returning  from  the 
dav's  work  in  the  iields,  and  were  all  sinocinof  a  ne- 
gro  melodv,  with  the  following  chorus  :  «*  Oh,  don't 
git  weary,  children  ;  Oh,  don't  git  weary,  children  ; 
Oh,  don't  git  weary,  children,  a  huntin'  fo'  a  home." 
They  did  not  see  me,  but  continued  to  sing  until 
their  voices  were  lost  in  the  distance.  The  sun  had 
set,  but  the  sky  was  still  red  with  its  lingering  rays. 
I  turned  my  eyes  towards  the  upland,  and  saw,  or 
imagined  I  saw,  a  reflection  of  the  last  parting  ray 
upon  the  observatory  at ' *  Chestnut  Hill. ' '  I  stepped 
out  upon  the  highway  and  started  towards  the  old 
mansion  with  a  pretty  quick  motion.  I  was  rapidly 
overcoming  the  distance,  when  a  painful  thought  en- 
tered my  mind.  I  had  not  heard  from  Annie  Belle 
since  our  army  left  Nashville,  and  I  had  not  written 
to  her  of  my  expected  visit  to  "  Chestnut  Hill."  My 
reason  for  not  writins:  was  a  fear  that  I  might  be 
prevented,  in  some  way,  from  making  the  visit,  and 


THE   LITTLE    BUGLER.  133 

the  disappointment  to  her  would  l)e  very  great.  I 
was  now  troubled  with  the  fear  that  they  might  all 
be  away  from  home,  as  they  had  no  reason  what- 
ever to  expect  me.  I  was  considerably  agitated  by 
these  painful  thoughts,  and  sat  down  by  the  road- 
side to  compose  myself.  But  the  suspense  was  un- 
bearable, so  I  started  forward  again  with  no  abate- 
ment of  speed.  I  had  gone  but  a  short  distance 
when  I  heard  the  rattle  of  a  vehicle,  and  was  soon 
overtaken  by  a  two-horse  road-wagon,  driven  by  a 
a  colored  man,  who  was  very  willing  to  "  give  me  a 
lift.'*  He  carried  me  within  a  short  distance  of 
*  *  Chestnut  Hill. ' '  The  twilight  had  faded  away  into 
darkness,  and  *'  all  the  air  a  silent  stillness  held," 
when  I  opened  the  gate  and  slowly  made  my  way 
to  the  door.  I  ascended  the  steps  and  rang  the 
bell.  The  door  was  soon  opened,  but  I  paused  for 
a  moment.  There  stood  Aunt  Coal,  peering  out 
into  the  darkness,  which  hid  me  from  sight.  She 
gazed  a  moment,  and  could  just  see  the  glimmer  of 
my  brass  buttons.  She  stepped  back  into  the  hall 
with  some  alarm,  and  called  out,  "Who's  da, — 
who's  da,  I  say?"  I  emerged  out  of  the  darkness 
into  the  light.     My  action  was  rather  sudden,  and 


134  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

startled  the  old  woman  ;  but  in  a  moment  she 
exclaimed,  "  De  good  Lo'd  bless  mv  soul,  if  it 
ain't  Massa  George,  sho  as  I'm  bo'n.  AVha  on 
de  face  ob  de  arth  did  you  come  from  ? ' '  The 
delay  of  Aunt  Coal  in  the  hall  had  been  ob- 
served by  the  family,  who  were  at  the  supper- 
table.  Two  persons  stepped  out  in  the  hall  from 
the  dining-room,  where  they  heard  the  last  part 
of  Aunt  Coal's  exclamation.  These  persons  were 
a  3^oung  lady  and  a  girl, — in  other  words,  Miss 
Lee  and  Annie  Belle.  On  seeing  me,  Annie  Belle 
fainted  away  in  Miss  Lee's  arms.  This  confu- 
sion brought  Mrs.  Graves  and  Mrs.  Lee  into  the  hall 
also.  They  could  not  at  once  comprehend  the 
situation  ;  they  first  looked  at  me  and  then  at  Annie 
Belle.  The  facts  finally  became  plain  to  them,  how- 
ever, viz.,  that  the  "little  bugler"  was  really 
there  in  the  hall-way,  and  that  Annie  Belle  had 
fainted.  She  was  taken  into  the  parlor,  and  soon  re- 
vived. Her  first  words  were,  "Aunt  Josie,  did  you 
see  him,  —  did  you  see  George?  Oh  !  how  pale  he 
looked."  I  kept  back  so  that  she  did  not  see  me, 
and  Miss  Lee  answered,  "  Yes,  my  dear,  I  saw 
George  ;  he  is  looking  quite  well,  I  think.      He  has 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  135 

come  to  see  you.  We  have  all  seen  him,  and  he  is 
here  in  the  parlor  now."  "Where  ishe?  "  asked 
Annie  Belle.  '*  Why,  here  I  am,"  I  said,  advanc- 
ing ;  * '  and  I  think  you  ought  to  give  me  a  kiss  for 
keeping  me  waiting  so  long  for  my  reception. ' '  The 
dear  little  girl  looked  up  and  blushed,  and  I  did  the 
bold  thing,  and  kissed  her  right  in  the  presence  of 
them  all.  There  was  something  so  real  about  this 
that  it  at  once  convinced  her  of  my  actual  presence. 
Miss  Lee  and  the  other  ladies  kissed  me  also.  Miss 
Lee  remarking  that  Annie  Belle  was  rightfully  en- 
titled to  the  first,  but  she  did  not  think  her  claims 
ought  to  extend  to  a  monopoly.  Annie  Belle  was 
fully  awake  by  this  time,  and  no  longer  doubted  the 
evidence  of  her  senses.  But  some  one  else  had 
entered  in  the  meantime,  that  caused  a  momentary 
shiver  to  pass  through  me.  This  person  was  a 
handsome  young  man  of  about  twentj^-tivo  or  six 
years  ;  he  wore  a  gray  uniform,  and  carried  his  right 
arm  in  a  sling.  There  we  stood  in  the  centre  of  the 
parlor  looking  at  each  other, —  the  gray  and  the  blue, 
the  man  and  the  boy.  The  young  officer  advanced 
with  a  pleasant  smile,  and  said,  *'Ah,  this  is  the  little 
bugler,  I  presume,  of  whom  I  have  heard  so  many 


136  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

pleasant  things  from  all  the  family.  You  will  ex- 
cuse my  right  hand,  I  hope,  as  your  army  has  ren- 
dered it  unable  for  duty.  I  am  right  glad  to  see 
you,  however,  as  I  perceive  that  you  are  unarmed, 
and  evidently  don't  mean  to  make  an  attack  upon 
me."  Saying  this,  he  gave  me  a  hearty  greeting. 
He  asked  me  if  I  had  not  been  on  a  forced  march ; 
and  turning  to  his  mother,  said,  *'  This  soldier,  I 
think,  needs  as  full  rations  as  the  state  of  the  com- 
missary will  admit."  Annie  Belle  came  bounding 
up  at  this,  and  kissed  her  uncle,  and  said,  '*  Oh, 
I  knew  you  would  like  each  other.  Oh,  I  am  so 
glad  you  are  both   here  together." 

Miss  Lee  in  the  meantime  had  not  been  unmind- 
ful of  the  supper.  They  all  went  back  to  the 
dining-room  and  sat  down  at  the  table  with  me. 
Annie  Belle  seemed  very  happy,  and  ran  around  the 
table  kissing  everybody  save  me  and  Aunt  Coal. 
Miss  Lee  sat  on  one  side  of  me  and  Capt.  Graves  — 
for  that  was  the  name  of  the  young  officer  —  on 
the  other.  Mrs.  Lee  and  Annie  Belle  sat  just 
opposite,  and  Mrs.  Graves  at  the  head  of  the  table. 
Col.  Graves  was  away  from  home.  I  was  about 
to   make   inquiries    about  another  member  of  the 


THE   LITTLE   BUGLER.  139 

family,  when  I  heard  the  sound  of  a  cane  in  the 
hall,  and  looking  up,  beheld  the  sergeant  going 
through  the  manual  of  arms  with  his  stick.  He 
finally  brought  it  to  a  **  jDresent  arms,''  and  then 
marched  into  the  dining-room,  took  my  hand  in  a 
very  ceremonious  manner,  and  stretching  himself  up 
and  sfivinof  me  a  formal  salute,  he  said :  — 

"  Come  you  in  peace, 
Or  come  you  in  war, 
Or  come  you  in  love. 
My  young  Lochinvar?" 

I  blushed  a  little  at  this,  and  Capt.  Graves  said 
to  the  sergeant,  **  He  evidently  comes  in  peace,  as 
you  will  observe  he  is  unarmed ;  and  as  to  the  other 
matter,  I  think  we  shall  all  agree  that  he  has  a  per- 
fect right  to  be  silent,  for  the  present  at  least." 
The  sergeant  added,  *'  I  think  he  brings  with  him 
terms  of  capitulation,  if  not  for  the  entire  Federal 
army,  for  himself  at  least ;  and  we,"  here  he  looked 
in  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Lee  and  Annie  Belle,  '*  will 
no  doubt  accept  his  terms  of  surrender."  He  then 
produced  his  pipe,  with  a  significant  look  at  his  to- 
bacco-box, and  marched  out  in  the  direction  of  his 
« *  fort . ' '     After  supper  we  all  returned  to  the  parlor  ; 


140  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

but  before  taking  you  there  with  me,  I  must  detain 
you  a  moment  for  a  brief  explanation.  As  I  have 
said,  I  had  not  written  to  Annie  Belle  since  leaving 
Nashville.  Of  course  they  had  all  heard  about  the 
great  battle  of  Shiloh,  and  knew  that  the  army  I  was 
with  had  been  engaged  in  it.  Annie  Belle  had  been 
in  great  distress  of  mind  about  me,  and  my  very 
sudden  and  altogether  unexpected  appearance  in 
the  hall  made  her  think  that  she  had  seen  an  appa- 
rition, and  hence  her  fainting  away.  Capt.  Graves 
had  been  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Fort 
Donelson.  He  had  been  exchanged,  and  returned 
to  his  home  but  a  few  days  before.  We  will  now, 
after  this  slight  detention,  proceed  into  the  parlor 
and  have  an  evening  of  it.  My  brother  had 
been  asked  about,  and  they  all  seemed  glad  of  his 
safety.  Miss  Lee  wanted  me  to  tell  them  all  about 
my  experiences  since  the  time  I  left  *'  Chestnut 
Hill."  I  related  everything,  not  forgetting  my 
chance  acquaintance  with  Mrs.  Gaines's  family. 
I  also  mentioned  the  friendly  countryman,  who 
proved  to  be  the  famous  Morgan.  Gen.  Morgan's 
home  was  at  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  Capt. 
Graves  had  seen  him  frequently,  and  was  very  much 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  141 

amused  at  my  story  about  him.  They  all  laughed 
heartily  when  I  told  them  about  the  false  alarm, 
and  about  my  command  to  ''  Cock  your  pistols, 
boys."  I,  in  turn,  asked  Capt.  Graves  about  his 
experiences.  He  had  gone  from  Bowling  Green 
to  Fort  Donelson  with  Gen.  Buckner ;  had  been 
wounded,  and  taken  prisoner  on  the  surrender  of 
the  fort.  He  was  taken  to  Camp  Morton,  Indiana. 
He  had  been  well  treated,  and  his  opinion  of  the 
Yankees  had  undergone  quite  a  change ;  and  this 
had  probably  affected  the  whole  family.  He  asked 
me  particularly  about  the  battle  of  Shiloh  ;  and  after 
I  had  concluded,  he  said,  **  Yes,  the  battle  of  Fort 
Donelson  convinced  me  that  the  Yankees  were  just 
as  good  soldiers  as  our  own  Southern  boys,  and  I  fear 
we  shall  have  hard  fighting  to  gain  our  cause,  which 
I  believe  is  a  just  one."  Miss  Lee  looked  very  pretty 
and  very  happy.  The  beauty  was  nothing  unusual 
to  her,  but  her  happiness  I  attributed  somewhat  to 
the  presence  of  this  handsome  Confederate  officer. 
Mrs.  Graves  and  Mrs.  Lee  retired  to  their  chambers 
soon  after  nine  o'clock.  I  thought  I  could  see  that 
Capt.  Graves  and  Miss  Lee  desired  to  be  left  to  them- 
selves, and  I  think  that  Annie  Belle  and  I  felt  the 


142  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

same  way ;  so  we  went  into  the  library  to  look  at 
a  book  that  Annie  Belle  had  received  during  my 
absence.  I  had  reserved  many  things  to  tell  her 
alone.  She  said  that  she  had  been  so  unhappy  ever 
since  the  morning  the  army  left  Camp  Buell.  They 
had  all  been  in  great  trouble  about  Uncle  Will ; 
they  had  heard  of  his  being  wounded  and  captured, 
and  hardly  knew  what  to  expect,  until  a  few  days 
since,  when  he  had  so  unexpectedly  come  home. 
She  said  that  she  had  dreamed  about  me  the  night 
before,  and  when  she  saw  me  in  the  hall,  she 
thought  that  it  was  only  a  vision,  and  not  my  real 
self.  She  told  me  how  things  had  gone  at  "  Chest- 
nut Hill."  All  the  horses  had  been  taken;  the 
majority  of  the  negroes  had  run  away,  and  the  plan- 
tation was  neglected  and  uncultivated.  I  remained 
at  **  Chestnut  Hill "  three  days,  and  I  can  truly  say 
that  I  never  have  experienced  happier  days,  before  or 
since.  I  was  accompanied  a  part  of  the  way  to 
Louisville  by  Capt.  Graves,  Miss  Lee,  and  Annie 
Belle.  I  reached  home  in  two  days  after  leaving 
**  Chestnut  Hill,"  and  on  the  next  day  after  my 
arrival  I  was  given  a  reception  party  at  the  home  of 
one  of  my  school  friends.     If  I  had  been  a  hero 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  143 

before  I  went  to  the  war,  what  was  I  now?  Just 
think  of  a  boy  of  my  tender  age,  fresh  from  a  ter- 
rible battle,  where  he  had  seen  hundreds  of  dead 
and  wounded,  lying  here  and  there  and  everywhere 
over  an  extent  of  miles.  But  I  hope  I  carried  my- 
self with  a  modest  bearing,  and  did  not  brag  of  my 
wonderful  exploits.  I  called  to  see  all  my  girl 
friends  of  "our  set,"  and  all  the  boys  called  to  see 
me  ;  so  I  was  pretty  busy  for  two  or  three  weeks. 
I  was  a  marked  character.  Every  word  I  said  was 
listened  to,  and  I  found  that  I  could  almost  monopo- 
lize the  conversation  of  any  circle  in  which  I  chanced 
to  find  myself.  I  frequently  mentioned  **  Chestnut 
Hill  "  in  my  conversations,  but  carefully  avoided  any 
reference  to  Annie  Belle.  And  how  natural  this 
was.  One  usually  talks  least  about  what  they  love 
most.  I  think  we  have  all  observed  that,  in  love  as 
in  religion,  those  who  talk  most  are  always  the  least 
sincere. 

What  a  great  change  a  few  months  can  make  in  a 
girl.  Jennie  Fisk,  with  whom  I  used  to  play,  and 
who  was  for  a  long  time  my  most  intimate  friend,  was 
no  longer  so  attractive  to  me  as  she  once  had  been. 
There  was  not  only  a  change  in  her  face,  but  there 


144  THE   LITTLE    BUGLER. 

was  something  about  her  manners  and  voice  —  a 
**ye  ne  sais  qua  *' —  which,  if  it  did  not  repel  me,  yet 
rendered  us  no  longer  congenial  companions.  We 
both  plainly  saw,  without  a  word  being  spoken 
about  it,  that  we  could  never  more  enjoy  each  other's 
company  as  we  had  done  in  the  past.  We  danced 
together  frequently,  and  I  made  special  efforts  to  be 
attentive  to  her ;  but  beneath  it  all  there  was  that 
tacit  understanding  between  us  which  rightly  in- 
terpreted every  word  and  act. 

Let  us  take  a  look  southward.  The  Confederate 
army  had  been  divided  after  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 
and  Gen.  Bragg' s  army  had  given  Buell  the  slip 
and  was  marching  northward,  with  our  army  in  pur- 
suit. Buell  soon  concluded  that  he  could  not  over- 
take Bragg  ;  so  he  took  another  road,  with  the  hope 
of  getting  to  the  Ohio  River  in  advance  of  him. 
Buell's  line  of  march  was  almost  the  same  over  which 
his  army  had  passed  in  its  southern  advance.  This 
countermarching  was  rather  humiliating  to  our  army, 
after  the  great  victories  of  Donelson  and  Shiloh  ;  and 
my  brother's  letters  evinced  a  want  of  faith  in  the 
generalship  of  Buell.  Our  army,  however,  arrived 
at  Louisville  before  Bragg,  and  succeeded  in  head- 


THE    LITTLE   BUGLER.  145 

ing  him  off  and  saving  the  city  of  Louisville  from 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Confederates.  Gen. 
Buell  was  now  relieved  from  his  command  by  Gen. 
Rosecrans.  The  army  was  reorganized,  under  the 
name  of  the  "Army  of  the  Cumberland,"  and  start- 
ed at  once  in  pursuit  of  Bragg.  Severe  battles  were 
fought  at  Bardstown  and  Perry ville.  At  the  latter 
place  my  brother  received  a  flesh-wound,  which  was 
quite  painful  but  not  dangerous,  and  from  which  he 
soon  recovered.  Brasfsr  retreated  into  Tennessee, 
and  Rosecrans  followed.  Braofar  came  to  a  stand 
at  Murfreesboro,  and  prepared  for  battle.  Rose- 
crans encamped  near  by,  and  the  two  armies  re- 
mained thus  until  about  Christmas.  I  returned  to 
the  army  near  Murfreesboro  on  the  1st  of  December, 
having  been  absent  several  months.  It  was  plain, 
from  my  long  absence,  that  the  army  could  get  along 
without  me.  President  Jefferson  Davis  visited 
Bragg  at  Murfreesboro,  and  he  was  given  a  grand 
reception.  Gen.  John  Morgan,  of  whom  I  have 
several  times  spoken,  was  married  during  the  presi- 
dent's visit,  and  Mr.  Davis  attended  the  wedding. 
Annie  Belle's  last  letter  informed  me  that  Capt. 
Graves  had  returned   to  the  army,  and  was  with 

10 


146  THE   LITTLE    BUGLER. 

Gen.Bniirs:;  so  that  we  were  now  face  to  face  in 
opposing  armies.  Col.  Graves  was  going  to  close 
up  *'  Chestnut  Hill  "  and  take  his  family  to  Sa- 
vannah, Georgia.  My  uext  letter  to  Annie  Belle 
was  to  be  directed  in  care  of  Col.  Christopher 
Graves,  Savannah,  Georgia.  Camp  rumor  was  to 
the  effect  that  a  battle  was  daily  expected.  For- 
aging parties  from  both  armies  were  frequently 
coming  in  contact  with  each  other.  There  had  been 
some  pretty  brisk  skirmishes,  with  considerable  loss 
on  both  sides.  I  accompanied  a  large  foraging  party 
one  day,  and  was  thoroughly  convinced  that  these 
excursions  meant  anything  but  pleasure-rides.  We 
had  passed  over  two  or  three  miles  on  a  gentle  can- 
ter, when  suddenly,  at  an  abrupt  turn  in  the  road, 
we  came  face  to  face  with  a  body  of  mounted  infan- 
try three  times  our  number.  Both  parties  were 
entirely  surprised,  and  there  was  a  momentary 
pause.  Our  body  was  the  quickest  in  motion,  how- 
ever, and  we  were  soon  in  line  of  battle,  discharged 
our  carbines,  and  were  ordered  to  charge  with 
pistols  and  sabres.  Our  commander  —  who  was  my 
brother  —  had  taken  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  and 
acted  without  hesitation.     Mounted  infantry  cannot 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  147 

fight  on  horseback,  and  the  quick  movements  of  our 
men  were  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  dismounting 
and  forming  a  line.  Our  movements  were  entirely 
successful.  The  enemy  were  armed  with  long 
muskets,  which  they  could  not  handle  on  horseback  ; 
and  the  surprise  was  so  sudden,  and  our  attack  fol- 
lowed so  quickly,  that  they  had  little  time  for  dis- 
mounting and  forming  a  line.  Those  that  did 
dismount  were  either  killed  or  taken  prisoner,  and 
the  others  were  completely  routed.  We  had  gained 
in  about  fifteen  minutes  a  brilliant  little  victory, 
and  I  had  for  the  first  time  the  glory  of  taking  part 
in  a  real  battle.  I  had  left  my  bugle  at  the  camp, 
as  the  battalion  was  so  small  that  the  orders  could 
be  distinctly  heard  from  the  commander's  lips  ;  and 
besides,  the  notes  of  the  bugle  might  betray  our 
position  and  movements  to  the  enemy.  I  was 
armed  as  the  other  soldiers,  with  carbine,  pistol,  and 
sabre.  In  this  engagement  I  used  the  carbine  and 
pistol,  but  not  the  sabre.  I  do  not  think  that  I  did 
very  great  execution  upon  the  enemy.  The  dis- 
charge of  the  carbine  almost  unhorsed  me,  for  it  shot 
forward  and  kicked  backward  at  the  same  time ; 
and   its  back  action  was  so  forcible  as  to  wrench 


148  E    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

it  from  my  grasp,  and  I  was  only  prevented  from 
losing  it  by  the  strap  to  which  it  was  attached,  and 
which  was  securely  buckled  over  my  shoulder. 
When  it  came  time  to  use  my  pistol,  my  whole  mind 
was  taken  up  with  the  thought  of  holding  on  to  it, 
as  it  was  not  secured  by  a  strap  ;  so  I  was  very  little 
occupied  with  bloody  designs  upon  the  foe.  When 
the  firing  was  over,  I  rode  up  to  my  brother  with  a 
vast  deal  of  satisfaction,  and  announced  that  **  I 
held  on  to  it."  *' Held  ou  to  what?"  asked  my 
brother,  with  thoughts  evidently  of  prisoners  and 
spoils.  **The  pistol,"  I  replied.  **What!  have 
you  captured  and  disarmed  a  prisoner? ' '  he  inquired. 
This  suggestion  of  what  I  might  have  done,  and  of 
what  my  brother  had  actually  done,  made  my  feat 
of  holding  on  to  my  own  pistol  seem,  after  all,  a 
not  very  wonderful  nor  tragic  afiair  ;  and  my  face 
reddened  a  little  when  I  stated  the  unvarnished 
truth,  and  encountered  the  smile  of  my  brother,  who 
said  I  certainly  did  well  to  come  out  of  my  first 
engagement  with  all  my  weapons  about  me.  My 
brother  knew  that  it  was  not  best  to  follow  up  the 
enemy's  retreat,  as  he  had  no  reserve  force,  and  we 
were  not  far  from  Bragg' s  outposts.     The  ambu- 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  149 

lances  and  forage- wagons  came  up  ;  the  dead  and 
wounded  were  picked  up  and  put  into  the  ambu- 
lances ;  the  forage,  such  as  was  to  be  had,  was 
quickly  piled  into  the  wagons,  and  we  started  for 
camp.  The  enemy  soon  reorganized,  and  with  a 
superior  force  advanced  upon  us.  Skirmishers 
were  thrown  out  to  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy 
and  cover  our  retreat.  We  placed  the  ambulances 
and  forage-wagons  in  front,  and  retired  as  fast  as 
they  could  move.  Avery  sad  thing  occurred  during 
this  retreat,  which  I  shall  briefly  relate.  We  had 
fallen  back  before  the  enemy  the  distance  of  a  mile 
and  a  half  or  more.  I  was  ridins^  bv  the  side  of  a 
lieutenant  about  twenty-two  years  old.  I  had 
known  him  before  the  war.  He  was  a  handsome, 
brave,  and  merry  young  soldier,  and  a  particular 
friend  of  our  fxmily.  I  had  slept  under  the  same 
blankets  with  him,  and  eaten  at  the  same  mess- 
board.  Of  all  the  soldiers,  next  to  my  brother,  I 
loved  Lieut.  Harrington  best.  As  I  rode  along  by 
his  side,  he  said  many  witty  things  about  the 
*' Johnnie  Rebs,"  and  was  altogether  in  the  best  of 
spirits.     We  had  reached  the  top  of  a  little  hill,  and 


150  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

the  enemy  was  on  an  opposite  one,  when,  turning 
about  in  his  saddle  and  facing  the  foe,  he  remarked 
that  our  ambulances  and  forage-wagons  were  now 
safe,  and  we  might  have  a  little  fun  with  the 
**  Johnnies."  These  were  his  last  words.  Zip! 
zip  !  zip  !  went  the  enemy's  musket-balls,  and  look- 
ing around,  I  saw  our  friend  reeling  in  his  sad- 
dle. I  was  quickly  at  his  side,  and  prevented  his 
falling.  Two  soldiers  came  to  my  aid  and  supported 
him  in  his  saddle,  and  we  moved  forward  to  an  am- 
bulance. He  was  then  lifted  from  his  horse  and  laid 
gently  down  upon  a  blanket.  His  young,  handsome 
face  was  disfigured  by  the  ugly  mark  of  a  musket- 
ball.  His  large  brown  eyes  had  a  fixed,  glassy 
look,  and  I  knew  that  death  was  near.  He  tried  to 
speak,  but  could  not ;  he  raised  his  hand  and  laid  it 
on  his  breast-pocket ;  it  rested  upon  the  photograph 
of  a  sweet  young  girl,  who  lived  far  away  in  New 
England.  The  ugly  missile  that  pierced  the  temple 
of  our  friend  pierced  at  the  same  time  the  tender 
heart  of  my  sister,  and  it  proved  alike  fatal  in 
both  cases.  The  one  ball  had  cut  down  two  young 
and  beautiful  lives.     I  stooped  down  and  kissed  his 


THE   LITTLE    BUGLER.  151 

handsome  face,  and  looking  up,  saw  my  brother, 
who  was  just  kneeling  on  the  other  side.  He  took 
one  hand  of  the  gallant  young  officer  and  I  took 
the  other,  and  the  spirit  of  our  friend  and  brother 
passed  between  us,  up  from  the  dark  scenes  of  war 
and  death  to  the  light,  and  life,  and  peace  of  God. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Gen.  Braofs:,  who  commanded  the  Confederate 
army  at  Miirfieesboro,  was  a  particular  friend  of 
President  Davis,  who  honored  him  with  a  visit,  as 
has  been  mentioned.  During  this  visit  the  presi- 
dent reviewed  the  army,  and  attended  the  brilliant 
wedding  of  the  daring  and  famous  guerilla,  Gen. 
John  Morgan,  alias  the  friendly  farmer.  The  Con- 
federate camp  was  gay  and  confident ;  but  I  think 
that  our  army,  if  not  so  gay,  was  equally  as  confi- 
dent of  victory  in  the  impending  battle.  I  felt 
thoroughly  initiated  by  this  time,  having  witnessed 
three  battles  and  actually  taken  part  in  one,  — and 
that  without  losing  my  weapons.  I  began  to  as- 
sume the  air  of  a  veteran,  and  when  new  recruits 
arrived  in  camp  I  talked  to  them  in  a  patronizing 
kind  of  way,  in  imitation  of  the  old  soldiers.  Sol- 
diers who  have  seen  real  service,  and  have  carried 
themselves  creditably  through  an  engagement,  look 
with  a  great  deal  of  contempt  upon  new,  untried 
volunteers  who  have  never  smelt  the  enemy's  pow- 

(155) 


156  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

der.  I  felt  that  I  had  now  earned  the  title  of  a  sol- 
dier, and  of  course  was  expecting  to  take  part  in 
the  coming  battle.  But  what  was  my  chagrin  and 
mortification  when  I  was  told  by  my  brother  that 
all  the  superfluous  baggage  and  camp-followers 
were  to  be  sent  back  to  Nashville,  and  I  was  made 
to  understand  that  "  camp-followers  "  included  me. 
I  looked  steadily  at  my  brother  for  a  moment, 
thinking  that  he  was  jesting,  and  meaning  to  rebuke 
him  ;  but  there  was  something  in  his  face  which  told 
me  that  he  meant  what  he  had  said.  I  burst  out 
crying,  — rather  a  boyish  performance,  I  admit,  for 
an  old  veteran.  But  I  felt  hurt.  I  thought  it  very 
cruel  in  my  brother  to  talk  to  me  in  that  humiliat- 
ing way.  He  saw  that  he  had  unintentionally 
wounded  my  feelings,  and  he  very  tenderly  said, 
**  Why,  George,  you  know  that  I  did  not  mean  to 
wound  you  ;  but  I  acknowledge  that  it  was  very  in- 
considerate, and  seems  unkind  in  me  to  class  you 
with  the  *  camp-followers,'  for  you  are  by  no  means 
a  *  camp-follower,'  and  I  beg  your  pardon  for  the 
thoughtless  remark.  Now,  let  me  explain  :  A  great 
battle  is  soon  to  be  fought.  My  command,  as  you 
know,  has  two  other  buglers  besides  yourself;  and 


THE   LITTLE   BUGLER.  157 

while  you  are  not  superfluous,  yet  we  can  get  along 
without  you,  and  my  anxiety  for  your  safety  and  my 
love  for  our  dear  mother  has  caused  me  to  ask  you  to 
return  to  Nashville  and  remain  until  after  the  battle. 
I  am  very  proud  of  you,  my  brother,  for  I  know 
that  you  are  a  brave  and  manly  boy ;  and  I  don't 
command  this,  but  ask  it  as  your  elder  brother. 
Think  of  our  mother  and  her  deep  sorrow,  should 
anything  serious  happen  to  either  of  her  sol- 
dier-boys." This  kindly  speech  did  not  stay 
my  tears,  but  their  flowing  was  no  longer  from  a 
feeling  of  mortification,  but  from  the  thought  that 
my  brave  and  good  brother  had  reckoned  the  proba- 
bilities, and  in  the  event  of  his  own  death  he  wished 
to  feel  certain  that  I  would  be  left  to  comfort  our 
mother.  I  answered  that  I  was  obedient  to  his 
wish,  but  that  my  anxiety  about  his  safety  would 
cause  my  return  to  the  front  so  soon  as  the  issue  of 
the  battle  was  at  all  certain.  To  this  he  consented. 
On  the  next  morning  our  army  struck  tents  and 
moved  forward  towards  Murfreesboro.  Gen.  Rose- 
crans  had  not  only  the  confidence,  but  the  love 
of  his  entire  army.  He  had  been  very  successful  in 
West  Virginia,  and  his  soldiers   felt  that  they  had 


158  THE   LITTLE   BUGLER. 

an  experienced,  brave,  and  capable  commander  to 
lead  them  against  the  foe  ;  besides,  he  was  a  modest, 
pious,  and  kindly  man. 

The  supernumeraries  in  charge  of  the  superflu- 
ous baggage  started  on  their  backward  march  for 
Nashville  so  soon  as  the  army  had  made  a  forward 
movement.  I  was  really  given  a  squad  to  com- 
mand, which  elated  me  not  a  little.  My  army  con- 
sisted of  three  or  four  convalescent  soldiers,  a  half- 
dozen  cooks  and  hostlers,  and  two  or  three  negro 
families.  I  marched  at  the  head  of  this  variegated 
column  in  all  the  pride  and  glory  of  a  commanding 
officer. 

On  reaching  Nashville,  I  turned  over  my  com- 
mand to  an  officer  of  rather  low  rank,  —  a  corporal, 
I  believe.  Being  relieved  of  my  charge,  I  began 
looking  about  for  my  quarters.  I  had  a  note  from 
my  brother  to  an  officer  stationed  at  Nashville,  and 
through  him  I  was  given  very  comfortable  lodgings. 
One  of  the  first  things  I  did  after  securing  my  quar- 
ters was  to  call  at  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Gaines,  as 
I  was  anxious  to  renew  my  slight  acquaintance  with 
that  family.  I  have  always  sought  and  much  en- 
joyed the  society  of  ladies,  and  I  attribute  to  their 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 


159 


pure  and  sweet  influence  whatever  of  the  true,  the 
good,  and  the  beautiful  there  may  be  in  my  life  and 
character.  I  was  very  cordially  received  by  Mrs. 
Gaines  and  her  daughters,  and  spent  a  most  agree- 
able evening.  The  young  ladies  were  not  at  all 
patronizing,  but  talked  to  me  as  they  would  to  a 
young  man  of  their  own  circle.  This  pleased  me  ex- 
ceedinglv.  And  here  let  me  remark,  for  the  benefit 
of  boys  from  the  age  of  fourteen  to  eighteen,  that  if 
there  is  anything  they  do  not  like  about  young 
ladies,  it  is  the  habit  which  so  many  of  the  fair  ones 
have  of  talking  to  a  boy,  especially  in  the  parlor, 
as  if  he  were  a  mere  child.  Oh,  I  beseech  you,  my 
dear  young  ladies,  to  *'  reform  it  altogether." 

There  was  constant  communication  between  the 
army  and  Nashville,  and  on  the  next  morning  heavy 
skirmishing  was  reported.  During  the  entire  day, 
reports  of  our  army's  steady  advance  and  the 
enemy's  retreat  came  pouring  into  Nashville.  On 
the  following  morning  a  heavy  engagement  was  said 
to  have  taken  place,  in  which  our  army  had  been 
entirely  victorious,  and  was  pushing  the  enemy  at 
every  point.  It  was  generally  believed  that  this 
meant  a  retreat  of  Bragg  further  south.     I  made  up 


160  THE   LITTLE    BUGLER. 

my  mind  at  once  to  return  to  the  front,  as  I  felt 
quite  sure  that  the  hard  fighting  was  over.  A  sup- 
ply train  was  to  leave  Nashville  that  afternoon  with 
provisions  and  ammunition  for  the  army,  and  I  ^vas 
granted  permission  to  accompany  it.  We  reached 
the  army  after  nightfall,  and  the  line  of  battle  could 
be  distinctly  marked  by  the  camp-fires.  I  had  little 
trouble  in  finding  our  division  ;  it  was  on  the  ex- 
treme riijht  of  the  armv.  The  officers  were  at 
supper  in  a  barn  when  I  arrived,  and  my  brother 
was  surprised  and  annoyed  at  my  presence.  I  ex- 
plained to  him  why  I  had  been  induced  to  leave 
Nashville.  He  answered  that  there  was  no  reason 
to  believe  that  the  battle  was  half  over  ;  in  fact,  he 
believed  that  the  morning  would  bring  a  very  fierce 
engagement,  as  the  orders  just  received  from  Gen. 
Rosecrans  indicated.  He  did  not  chide  me,  but 
said,  "We  must  make  the  best  of  it,  now  that  you  are 
here."  He  said  that  there  was  generally  some  place 
of  comparative  safety,  and  he  hoped  that  in  the 
morning  I  would  go  to  the  rear  and  keep  w^ith  the 
supply  train,  which  was  always  well  guarded.  The 
officers  were  all  glad  to  see  me.  One  of  them  said 
he  knew  the  "  general,"  as  he   always  called  me, 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  161 

**  would  not  be  willing  to  remain  at  Nashville  with 
the  invalids,  the  negroes,  and  the  shirks." 

Now  the  truth  is,  when  I  came  to  analyze  my  feel- 
ings, I  found  that  I  was  not  at  all  anxious  about 
getting  into  another  battle,  and  the  probabilities  of 
a  hot  engagement  on  the  next  day  disturbed  some- 
what my  slumbers.  My  brother,  however,  slept 
very  soundly.  We  were  all  astir  very  early  the 
next  morning,  which  was  caused  by  the  rapid  firing 
of  the  pickets,  and  before  we  could  get  fairly  into  our 
saddles  the  enemy  was  upon  us.  Here  they  came, 
marching  in  solid  column  four  or  five  ranks  deep. 
Our  division  was  taken  almost  completely  by  sur- 
prise, and  before  the  officers  could  form  a  line  of 
battle  the  Confederates  had  charged  us,  capturing 
two  brigade  commanders  and  killing  another,  — 
Gen.  Sill.  I  saw  him  shot  down  in  attempting  to 
mount  his  horse.  There  was  a  hurried  and  confused 
retreat,  which  grew  rapidly  into  a  stampede.  The 
day  seemed  irretrievably  lost,  and  I  thought  of  noth- 
ing but  my  own  and  my  brother's  safety.  In  the 
confusion  of  the  charge  of  the  enemy  I  had  been 
separated  from  my  brother's  command,  and  from 
that  moment  my  whole  mind  was  occupied  with  the 

11 


1(;2  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

thought  of  getting  to  the  rear,  and  the  best  way  of 
findhig  the  rear  was  to  follow  the  crowd.  I  was, 
however,  not  long  a  follower,  but  soon  became  one 
of  the  very  advance  leaders,  as  the  speed  of  my 
horse  —  which  I  made  no  effort  to  check  —  carried 
me  to  the  very  front  (of  the  rear).  I  remembered 
my  brother's  counsel  about  the  supply  train  being  a 
place  of  safety,  and  guided  my  horse  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  there  I  came  to  a  halt.  I  then  learned 
that  the  retreat  had  been  confined  to  the  right  wing 
of  our  army,  and  that  the  centre  and  left  were 
maintainimz;  their  o:round.  It  became  evident  also 
that  the  right  wing  had  not  been  completely  demoral- 
ized, and  I  began  to  think  that  my  retreat  had  been 
a  little  in  advance  of  the  army,  and  rather  hurried, 
upon  the  whole.  But  my  meditations  were  suddenly 
broken  in  upon.  The  cavalry  force  of  the  enemy 
had  gained  our  rear,  and  was  just  emerging  from 
the  wood,  with  the  evident  intention  of  attacking 
the  supply  train,  which  was  not  well  guarded.  AVe 
were  to  all  appearances  surrounded,  and  there 
was  therefore  no  rear,  and  no  available  place  of 
safety.  I  reined  my  horse  behind  a  little  cedar  tree, 
which  aiforded  but  a  slight  protection,  and  in  this 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  163 

position  I  awaited  the  attack.  I  was  not  kept  long 
in  suspense  ;  on  came  the  troopers,  yelling  and  firing. 
Our  guard  made  little  resistance,  and  I  made  none, 
as  I  was  without  a  carbine  ;  my  pistol  was  empty, 
and  I  did  not  think  to  reload  it.  I  saw  one  trooper, 
as  I  thought,  making  right  for  me  with  pistol  in 
hand.  I  threw  up  my  hands,  in  token  of  surrender, 
but  he  galloped  past  without  seeming  to  notice 
me.  The  poor,  defenceless  teamsters  attempted 
to  flee,  but  many  of  them  were  shot  down  and 
the  others  surrendered.  Some  of  the  cavalry  dis- 
mounted and  set  fire  to  the  wagons,  and  in  a  short 
time  the  provisions  intended  for  hungry  soldiers 
were  feeding  the  flames.  I  was  expecting  every 
moment  to  be  called  upon  to  surrender,  but  my 
presence  was  unrecognized.  I  suppose  that  the 
tree  shielded  me  somewhat  from  view,  or  it  may  be 
my  youth  appealed  to  their  feelings  ;  at  all  events,  I 
was  not  captured  nor  killed.  I  could  see  that  the 
enemy  were  in  a  great  hurry  to  do  their  work  and 
begone,  and  this  was  soon  explained  by  the  rapid  ap- 
proach of  a  body  of  horsemen  carrying  the  stars 
and  stripes.  The  Confederates  stayed  long  enough 
to  give  our  soldiers  one  round,  and  then  away  they 


164  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  « 

rode  as  swift  as  their  horses  could  carry  them.  But 
in  this  last  fire  I  had  not  been  entirely  overlooked, 
for  a  bullet  had  searched  me  out  and  left  its  mark 
upon  my  left  arm.  I  thought  for  a  moment  that  1 
was  certainly  killed,  as  the  blood  from  the  wound 
was  running  down  upon  my  clothing  and  saddle, 
and  the  pain  was  very  acute.  But  it  proved  to  be  a 
flesh-wound.  The  ball  had  past  over  the  most  sen- 
sitive part  of  my  forearm.  Had  the  wound  been 
more  severe,  the  pain  for  the  moment,  in  all  proba- 
bility, would  have  been  less  acute,  as  sensation 
would  have  been  somewhat  benumbed.  But  there 
I  was,  wounded  and  bleeding.  The  regiment  that 
had  driven  away  the  enemy  was  the  Fourth  United 
States  Regulars,  not  a  man  of  whom  knew  anything 
about  me,  or  my  brother's  command.  They  were 
certainly  very  ignorant,  I  thought.  An  officer  made 
some  inquiries  about  my  wound,  and  sent  a  private 
soldier  to  conduct  me  to  the  field-hospital,  which 
was  not  far  away.  I  had  my  wound  dressed  and 
bandaged  and  was  set  at  liberty,  as  my  case  was  not 
considered  at  all  serious  by  the  surgeon.  The  bat- 
tle was  still  raging,  but  with  what  results  I  could 
not  learn.     This  much  I  did  hear,  however;  that 


TiiE  \voL'^Dl^G  (jk'  i m:  1.1....^  i>cv.^...c 


Ciwj) 


THE    LITTLE    liUGLER.  167 

the  right  wing  had  re-formed,  and  was  slowly  re- 
coverino;  the  s^round  lost  in  the  mornino:.  I  also 
saw  a  wounded  sergeant,  who  told  me  that  our 
brigade  had  kept  together  throughout  the  confusion 
of  the  morning.  Night  drew  near,  and  the  firing 
abated  somewhat.  And  here  I  will  give  a  brief 
account  of  a  cavalry  fight  which  I  witnessed.  The 
Confederate  cavalry  at  this  battle  was  superior  to 
ours  in  numbers  and  for  the  most  part  in  discipline, 
and  their  successes  on  the  morning  in  question  had 
inspired  them  with  the  belief  that  our  cavalry  was  no 
match  for  them  in  any  sense.  Quite  a  large  body 
had  gained  our  rear,  destroyed  the  supply  train,  and 
was  endeavorins:  to  turn  Rosecrans's  flank.  The 
sun  was  jast  setting  when  I  saw  a  body  of  about  four 
thousand  cavalry  forming  in  the  Wood  to  our  right 
and  preparing  for  a  charge.  The  Fourth  United 
States  Regulars,  a  Pennsylvania  regiment,  and,  as  I 
afterward  learned,  our  own  battalion, — all  cavalry, — 
were  in  line  and  ready  to  receive  the  enemy.  The 
space  over  which  the  Confederates  would  have  to 
pass  was  obstructed  by  a  rail  fence.  This  it  was 
necessary  to  remove  before  the  charge  could  be 
made.     Men  were  dismounted  and  sent  forward  to 


168  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

do  this  dangerous  work  ;  but  they  were,  almost  every 
man  of  them,  picked  off  before  they  could  accom- 
plish their  hard  task.  Others  were  sent,  and  still 
others,  until  the  fence  was  sufficiently  lowered  to 
permit  a  horse  to  go  over  without  much  risk  of  fall- 
iucr.  The  combatants  stood  fjicino^  each  other  for  a 
moment,  then  suddenly,  with  a  loud  shout,  the  Con- 
federates dashed  forward.  Thev  first  discharsred 
their  carbines,  which  the  Federals  received  without 
reply.  The  Confederates  then  drew  pistols,  but 
before  they  got  within  pistol-range  the  Federals 
opened  a  deadly  fire  with  their  carbines.  Their 
carbines  were  breech-loading  repeaters.  The  first 
fire  caused  the  enemy  to  slacken  their  pace  ;  the 
second  and  third  brought  them  to  a  halt ;  and  the 
fourth,  fifth,  and*  sixth  (for  each  carbine  contained 
six  charges),  fired  with  such  precision  and  in  such 
rapid  succession,  was  too  much  for  these  brave, 
dashing  Southerns,  and  they  were  forced  to  turn 
and  gallop  back  to  the  wood,  leaving  their  gallant 
dead  and  wounded  comrades  lying  upon  the  field. 
My  position  commanded  a  fine  view  of  this  engage- 
ment, with  little  risk  to  myself.  The  sun  had  just 
set,  and  its  last  red  rays  cast  a  soft  sheen  over  the 


THE   LITTLE    BUGLER. 


169 


combatants ;  and  when  the  battle  had  ended,  it 
had  gathered  up  its  lingering  rays  and  dropped 
below  the  horizon,  as  if  unwilling  to  look  upon  this 
cruel  and  bloody  work  of  brother  against  brother. 
I  rode  over  a  portion  of  this  battle-ground,  and 
picked  up  a  handsome  pistol  which  had  been  lost  by 
some  Confederate  officer.  I  still  have  this  pistol  as 
a  relic  of  that  battle.  Myself  and  horse  had  not 
taken  food  that  day,  and  we  both,  I  think,  became 
conscious  of  this  fact.  My  horse  grew  restless.  I 
rode  about  in  every  direction,  seeking  something 
for  my  horse  to  eat.  I  at  last  thought  of  the  sup- 
ply train,  and  hoped  that  I  might  be  able  to  get 
something  out  of  the  ruins  that  would  make  a  feed 
for  my  horse.  When  I  reached  the  wreck,  I  found 
that  many  others  had  thought  of  the  same  thing  and 
were  there  before  me.  Still,  I  succeeded  in  find- 
ing some  oats  that  had  been  spilt  upon  the  ground, 
and  my  horse  made  a  good  meal,  and  seemed  satis- 
fied. I  also  gathered  up  enough  in  my  feed-bag  to 
give  him  two  additional  meals.  I  felt  pleased  with 
the  provision  made  for  my  horse  ;  but  my  own  appe- 
tite, in  the  meantime,  was  asserting  itself  with  no 
little  emphasis,  but  it  was  destined  to  wait  three  long 


170  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

days  l)efore  it  could  be  gnititied,  and  ;it  the  end  of 
that  time  I  dined  on  horse-flesh  and  crackers.  The 
want  of  rations  was  caused  by  the  destruction  of  the 
supply  train,  and  also  by  the  fact  that  for  two  days 
all  communication  with  Nashville  was  cut  off"  by  a 
cavahy  force  which  had  gained  the  rear  of  our 
army.  The  description  that  I  have  given  of  this 
day's  battle  is  drawn  from  my  own  observation.  It 
Avill  be  remembered  that  Rosecrans's  right  wing 
was  badly  shattered  on  Wednesday.  He  had 
strengthened  his  left  and  weakened  his  right,  with 
the  purpose  of  crushing  Bragg' s  right ;  and  Bragg 
had  weakened  his  right  and  strengthened  his  left  for 
a  similar  purpose.  But  Bragg  was  the  first  to 
move,  and  thus  gained  an  advantage  which  resulted 
almost  in  the  defeat  of  Rosecrans's  entire  army.  I 
believe  that  the  coolness  and  personal  bravery  of 
Gen.  Rosecrans  turned  the  tide  in  his  favor,  and 
finally  gained  him  a  victory,  though  a  very  dearly 
bought  one,  over  Gen.  Bragg.  I  saw  Gen.  Rose- 
crans  in  the  thick  of  the  battle,  giving  personal 
directions  to  his  subordinates,  and  since  that  day  I 
have  ever  admired  him. 

There  was  another    officer, — the   chief  of  Gen. 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 


171 


Rosecrans's  staff,  — whom  I  saw  soon  after  this 
battle,  whose  appearance  and  general  bearing  made 
a  very  deep  impression  upon  me.  He  was  about 
thirty  years  old,  above  the  average  in  size,  had 
brown  hair,  and  mild  blue  eyes,  and  seemed  thor- 
oughly self-possessed.  This  young  officer  distin- 
guished himself  afterward  at  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauo-a,  where  he  had  a  horse  shot  under  him.  He 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major-general  for  gal- 
lant conduct  in  that  most  bloody  battle.  The  name 
of  that  officer  was  James  A.  Garfield. 

On  Thursday  morning  the  armies  occupied  about 
the  same  relative  positions  that  they  had  on  Wednes- 
day before  the  furious  attack  upon  our  right.  I  saw 
very  little  fighting  that  day,  and  in  the  afternoon  was 
gladdened  by  a  sight  of  our  own  battalion.  I  soon 
learned  that  my  brother  was  still  with  his  com- 
mand, but  many  of  his  brave  soldiers  were  absent; 
and  I  saw  unmistakable  signs  that  they  had  all  ex- 
perienced severe  fighting.  My  arm  was  in  a  sling, 
and  this  attracted  the  attention  of  the  soldiers, 
especially  of  our  battalion.  They  expressed  their 
sympathy  in  various  ways,  and  after  being  as- 
sured that  it  was    a  mere  trifle,  they  all    seemed 


172  THE   LITTLE    BUGLER. 

proud,  and  rather  glad,  I  thought,  that  their  **  little 
buo:ler"  carried  the  evidence  of  havinor  been  under 
fire.  They  took  me  upon  their  shoulders  and  car- 
ried me  to  where  some  officers  were  talking.  My 
brother  was  a  little  frightened  at  first  when  he  saw 
me  with  a  bandaged  arm,  and  insisted  that  our  sur- 
geon should  examine  my  wound.  But  I  took  my 
arm  from  the  sling  and  convinced  him  that  no  bones 
were  broken,  and  that  it  had  been  carefully  dressed 
by  a  division  surgeon.  The  truth  is,  I  was  not  will- 
ing to  uncover  the  wound,  as  it  was  so  slight  as  to 
cause  a  laugh,  I  feared.  So,  while  convincing  them 
that  it  was  not  dangerous,  I  at  the  same  time  was 
not  anxious  that  the  exact  nature  of  the  wound 
should  be  known,  as  I  felt  that  the  imagination  of 
my  brother  and  other  friends  would  draw  a  more 
highly  colored  picture  of  my  bravery,  my  wound, 
and  my  endurance  than  the  real  facts  would  justify. 
I  stayed  at  the  front  during  the  remainder  of  this 
battle,  but  was  not  again  under  fire.  On  the  next 
day  (Friday),  in  the  afternoon,  the  severest  engage- 
ment of  this  battle  took  place.  It  was  then  that 
Rosecrans  massed  his  cannon,  that  did  such  terrible 
work  of  death  and  destruction.     Almost  the  entire 


THE   LITTLE    BUGLER.  173 

army  was  brought  into  action.  The  enemy  behaved 
with  their  accustomed  bravery,  but  were  finally 
compelled  to  retire,  and  Rosecrans  won  a  great  vic- 
tory,—  great  from  the  almost  equal  strength  in 
numbers  and  discipline  of  the  two  armies  engaged, 
and  also  from  the  terrible  slausrhter  on  both  sides. 
There  was  probably  not  a  harder  contested  battle, 
nor  a  more  bloody  one,  considering  the  num- 
bers engaged,  then  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  or, 
as  it  is  sometimes  called,  Murfreesboro.  On 
Saturday  morning  I  rode  with  my  brother  over 
the  battle-field.  Those  awful  scenes  of  blood- 
shed tended  naturally  to  weaken  one's  belief  in 
the  sacred n ess  of  human  life,  and  my  brother 
did  what  he  could  to  counteract  their  influence 
upon  my  mind.  He  spoke  of  the  great  sin  of 
war,  the  wanton  destruction  of  life  and  property 
which  it  caused,  and  said  that  the  people  who  went 
to  war  for  an  unjust  cause  were  as  criminal  as 
the  man  who  kills  his  fellow  in  a  quarrel.  My 
brother  seldom  permitted  a  day  to  pass  without  giv- 
ing me  some  lesson  in  the  gentle  virtues  of  kindness, 
sympathy,  and  brotherly  good-will.  He  hoped  thus 
to  keep  pure  and  sweet  the  fountain  of  my  thoughts 


174  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

and  feelings.  It  is  a  very  dangerous  thing,  we  all 
know,  for  one  to  become  accustomed  to  sights  of 
cruelty  or  bloodshed.  What  man,  valuing  the 
jDurity  of  his  soul,  would  not  shrink  from  such 
influences  ?  Of  course,  these  influences  may  not  sub- 
vert the  soul,  for  the  evil  seen  may  never  be  loved 
or  welcomed  ;  on  the  contray,  it  may  make  such  a 
deep  impression  of  the  awfulness  of  sin  as  to  cause 
the  heart  and  mind  to  turn  from  it  with  horror  and 
disgust.  But  still  it  is  something  to  have  these 
ugly  images  in  the  soul,  giving  out  their  expression 
and  diflfusing  their  odor  among  our  thoughts  and 
feelings,  so  long  as  we  live.  But,  again,  how  often 
do  we  find  that  the  veteran  of  many  battles  carries  a 
heart  as  tender  and  sympathetic  as  a  girl,  incapable  of 
wanton  cruelty.  I  have  raised  this  question,  not  to 
settle  it,  but  simply  to  suggest  that  all  of  the  truth 
cannot  be  found  on  either  side. 

My  brother's  words  had  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  my  mind,  but  I  received  another  lesson  upon 
this  battle-field  which  appealed  more  directly  to 
my  feelings.  "We  were  returning  to  camp,  when  we 
came  upon  a  carriage  drawn  by  a  mule  and  driven 
by   a  colored  boy.     The  carriage    contained  three 


THE   LITTLE   BUGLER.  175 

ladies.  The  boy  politely  removed  his  hat,  and  said 
that  his  * '  missus' '  wished  to  speak  to  the  officer.  We 
turned  about  in  our  saddles  and  saluted  the  ladies,  — 
an  elderly  lady  and  her  two  daughters,  as  they 
proved  to  be.  The  elder  daughter  was  about 
eighteen  and  the  younger  about  fifteen.  The  first 
glance  was  sufficient  to  show  us  that  they  were  all 
in  deep  sorrow.  The  mother  asked,  in  a  sad,  trem- 
ulous voice,  if  we  could  direct  her  to  that  part  of 
the  battle-field  where  the  Confederate  Gen.  Brecken- 
ridge's  forces  had  been  engaged  on  the  day  previ- 
ous. My  brother  regretted  that  his  duties  at  the 
camp  demanded  his  presence,  but  said  that  "my  [his] 
brother  here  will  gladly  direct  you,  and  be  of  any 
other  service  to  you  that  is  within  his  power."  The 
ladies  thanked  us  sincerely,  and  accepted  my 
services.  I  led  the  way  and  directed  the  boy  to 
follow  me.  We  had  gone  but  a  short  distance 
when  it  was  found  necessary  to  leave  the  carriage 
and  proceed  on  foot.  I  left  my  horse  in  care  of  the 
boy.  The  mother  said  that  the  object  of  her  visit 
to  the  battle-field  was  to  search  for  her  only  son,  a 
boy  of  but  sixteen  years,  who  had  left  school  to 
engage  in  the  battle  of  Friday.     She   had  heard 


176  THE   LITTLE   BUGLER. 

nothing  of  him  since  he  left  her,  and  feared  that  he 
was  among  the  slain.  But  the  work  of  burying  the 
dead  had  already  begun,  and  I  had  little  hopes  that 
the  sorrow-stricken  mother  and  sisters  would  suc- 
ceed in  finding  the  lost  boy  ;  and  it  soon  became  evi- 
dent that  they  would  be  compelled  to  give  up  the 
search.  The  awful  scene  of  blood  was  too  much  for 
the  tender  sensibilities  of  women,  especially  of  a 
mere  girl.  The  young  ladies  grew  sick  and  were 
compelled  to  turn  back,  and  the  sad  search  was 
given  up.  The  mother  gave  me  the  regiment  and 
company  of  her  boy,  together  with  a  personal  de- 
scription, and  I  promised  to  do  all  in  my  power  to 
gain  some  tidings  of  him.  I  took  the  name  and 
residence  of  the  lady,  who  lived  in  Nashville,  but 
was  stopping  in  Murfreesboro,  and  promised  to 
report  to  her  the  next  morning.  On  arriving  at 
camp  I  consulted  my  brother,  and  put  the  case  into 
his  hands.  The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  consult  the 
rolls  containing  the  names  of  the  prisoners,  and 
what  was  our  o^reat  delisfht  to  find  the  name  of  this 
young  man.  The  prisoners  had  not  yet  been  re- 
moved to  the  rear.  We  were  not  lono:  in  findiuo: 
Harry  Hollo  way.     He  was  a  tall,  handsome,  fair- 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  177 

haired  j^oiing  man,  with  clark-gray  eyes,  and  a 
proud,  almost  haughty  bearing.  I  told  him  of 
having  seen  his  mother  and  sisters,  and  immediately 
his  haughtiness  forsook  him,  and  the  crystal  tears 
glistened  upon  his  cheek.  He  was  eager  in  his 
questioning  about  them,  and  thanked  my  brother 
and  me  very  warmly  for  the  kindness  we  had  shown 
in  the  matter.  I  told  him  that  I  intended  to  visit 
his  mother  at  once,  and  would  gladly  take  any  mes- 
sage he  had  to  send.  He  was  provided  with  paper 
and  pencil,  and  wrote  a  brief  note,  which  he  gave  to 
me  for  delivery.  My  brother  went  at  once  to  head- 
quarters, and  succeeded  in  getting  this  young  man 
dismissed  on  parole.  I,  in  the  meantime,  had 
visited  Mrs.  Hollo  way.  I  first  announced  that  I 
did  not  believe  her  boy  was  among  the  killed  ;  I 
then  said  that  he  had  been  heard  from,  and  that  I 
had  seen  him,  and  that  he  was  well,  and  I  then  gave 
her  his  letter.  The  mother  threw  her  arms  about 
me  and  kissed  me  in  the  most  affectionate  way.  I 
cried  like  a  little  boy,  and  was  ashamed  of  myself ; 
the  young  ladies  cried  too,  and  we  all  had  a  very  tear- 
ful time  of  it.     Tears  are  not  always  an  indication  of 

12 


178  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

sorrow.  The  next  day  I  had  the  great  happiness  of 
accompanying  Harry  Holloway  to  visit  his  mother 
and  sisters.  I  called  to  see  them  in  Nashville  on 
my  way  North,  and  have  to  this  day  kept  up  this" 
very  delightful  acquaintance,  which  began  with  a 
chance  meeting  on  the  battle-field  of  Stone  River. 
I  will  close  this  chapter  with  an  extract  from  Annie 
Belle's  last  letter  :  — 

'*  I  don't  like  the  city  nearly  so  well  as  the  coun- 
try. There  are  no  houses  here  that  are  half  so  nice 
as  *  Chestnut  Hill ; '  and  then  you  can't  be  so  free 
as  in  the  country.  I  go  calling  sometimes  with 
Aunt  Josie,  but  I  don't  like  it  much,  as  everybody 
is  so  stiff  and  formal.  I  have  gone  to  two  parties, 
but  did  not  enjoy  them  much.  The  girls  all  acted 
like  young  ladies,  and  the  boys  were  not  very  nice. 
I  don't  wish  to  go  to  any  more,  but  I  suppose  I 
must.  We  get  letters  frequently  from  <  Chestnut 
Hill,'  written  by  the  '  sergeant,'  whom  we  left  in 
charge.  Aunt  Josie  has  just  received  a  letter  from 
Uncle  Will ;  he  is  with  Gen.  Braofor's  armv,  as  vou 
know.  He  says  that  they  are  expecting  a  battle 
every  day.     It  is  dreadful  to   think  that  you  and 


THE    LITTLE   BUGLER.  179 

your  kind,  good  brother,  and  Uncle  Will  will  be 
against  each  other  when  the  battle  conies  off.  I 
pray  every  night  for  you  all.  Oh,  how  I  would 
jump  for  joy  if  you  should  make  us  another  sur- 
prise visit ;  but  I  suppose  it  is  impossible  now,  as  we 
are  too  far  south." 


CHA  PTER    IX. 

After  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  I  was  induced  by 
two  reasons  to  return  to  my  home :  First,  my 
brother  felt  that  I  ought  to  be  in  school ;  and, 
second,  my  sister's  health  had  become  very  precari- 
ous since  the  death  of  Lieut.  Harrington,  to  whom, 
as  the  reader  has  doubtless  inferred,  she  was 
betrothed.  My  brother  had  little  trouble  in  getting 
me  dismissed  from  the  army.  My  sister  became  a 
confirmed  invalid,  but  lingered,  broken-hearted, 
until  a  few  years  since,  when  she  passed  quietly 
away.  She  lived  mostly  within  her  own  chamber  ; 
and  when  the  time  of  her  departui-e  came,  there 
were  only  traces  of  joy  and  gladness  left  upon  her 
thin,  pale  face,  and  none  of  that  sorrow  which  had 
crushed  her  beautiful  young  life,  and  which  she  had 
patiently  borne  for  twelve  long  years.  I  entered 
school  at  once,  and  found  that  I  was  not  so  far 
behind  my  former  classmates  but  that  I  could  over- 
take them  within  a  few  months,  if  I  should  give 
myself  closely  to  study.     It  was  pretty  hard  for  me 

(180) 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  181 

to  acquire  studious  habits,  and  I  often  became  dis- 
couraged, and  felt  as  if  I  would  like  to  throw  up 
my  books  and  leave  the  school-room,  never  to 
return  to  it  again.  The  dull  routine  of  the  class 
exercises  was  very  different  from  the  gay  and 
exciting  life  of  the  camp.  But  the  quiet  life  of  a 
student  was  much  better  for  me  than  the  wild  life  of 
a  soldier.  I  was  wise  enough  to  see  and  appreciate 
this  fact,  and  determined  to  begin  life  from  a  more 
serious  stand-point  than  that  of  a  careless  soldier- 
boy.  I  was  ambitious,  and  applied  myself  very 
diligently.  I  gave  up  parties  and  everything  else 
that  interfered  in  the  least  with  my  studies,  and  at 
the  end  of  four  months  I  stood  an  examination  and 
was  promoted  to  the  class  for  which  I  had  been 
striving.  I  was  now  in  good  working  trim,  and 
found  it  quite  easy  to  keep  up  with  my  class.  Of 
course  I  had  not  neglected  my  **  little  girl,"  but 
every  week  sent  her  a  good,  long  letter,  telling  her 
how  I  was  getting  on  in  my  new  life.  Her  letters 
also  came  regularly  once  a  week.  My  brother's 
letters  kept  me  well  informed  as  to  all  my  friends 
in  the  army.  I  had  been  at  home  about  six  months, 
when  a  week  passed  and  no  letter  came  from  Annie 


182  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

Belle.  Another  week  went  by,  and  still  another, 
until  six  weeks  had  dragged  their  weary  lengths  be- 
tween me  and  the  last  word  from  my  little  sweet- 
heart. I  did  not  cease  to  write  ;  I  ^vrote  the  oftener, 
but  all  was  silent ;  I  awoke  no  response.  I  became 
very  anxious  ;  not  about  her  love  for  me,  for  I  felt  sure 
of  that,  come  what  would.  I  was  anxious  about 
her  health,  her  safety,  her  happiness.  But  I 
reflected  that  if  anything  serious  had  happened, 
Miss  Lee  would  certainly  have  informed  me.  My 
mother  and  sister  sought  to  quiet  my  fears.  They 
said  that  correspondence  with  the  South  was  liable 
to  interruption  at  any  time.  A  letter  from  my 
brother,  about  this  time,  stated  that  no  communica- 
tion of  any  character  was  now  permitted  between  the 
two  armies.  All  this  was  confirmed  by  several 
of  my  letters  being  returned  to  me  from  the  dead- 
letter  office  at  Washington.  Six  long  months 
passed,  and  the  silence  was  unbroken  :  but  I  never 
doubted  for  a  moment  the  fidelity  of  Annie  Belle, 
and  my  own  heart  never  varied  for  an  instant  from 
its  little  Southern  matrnet. 

Thus  far  my  story  has  been    substantially   a  true 
one ;   but    I   am    greatly    tempted    in    this    closing 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  183 

chapter  to  deviate  somewhat  from  the  truth,  and 
let  the  curtain  fall  upon  a  picture  of  unalloyed 
happiness.  It  would,  I  am  sure,  be  more  pleasing 
to  the  reader;  and  if  I  were  writing  pure  fiction,  I 
am  certain  I  would  not  cast  a  shadow  upon  the  last 
pages  of  my  book.  I  am  not  writing  fiction,  how- 
ever, but  narrating  actual  occurrences,  and  shall 
therefore  give  a  faithful  account  of  what  has 
happened  thus  far  to  the  principal  characters  intro- 
duced in  this  sketch.  My  brother's  command  had 
reenlisted  for  three  years  longer.  The  officers  were- 
granted  a  leave  of  absence,  and  the  private  soldiers 
a  thirty  days'  furlough.  My  brother  wrote,  stating 
at  what  time  he  might  be  expected  home.  His 
friends  kindly  proposed  to  give  him  a  public  recep- 
tion and  dinner,  as  a  mark  of  their  high  esteem 
for  his  gallant  conduct  as  a  soldier.  It  was,  of 
course,  very  pleasing  and  gratifying  to  my  mother 
to  see  this  high  respect  and  honor  in  which  her  son 
was  held  by  his  friends  and  neighbors  ;  and  my 
sister  seemed  to  grow  strong,  and  her  eyes  to 
brighten,  in  the  expectation  of  seeing  her  brave 
soldier  brother.  I  was  almost  wild  with  excite- 
ment.    My   love  for  my  brother  was,   I  imagine, 


184  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

something  like  the  love  of  a  son  for  a  father.  I  had 
not  known  my  father,  and  my  brother  was  to  me  a 
father,  a  brother,  and  a  companion  ;  always  kind, 
loving,  and  tender.  I  was  proud  of  him.  He  was 
handsome,  and  brave,  and  clever;  and  I  looked 
forward  to  his  visit  with  ixreat  iov  and  irhidness. 
I  wanted  to  see  him  honored  and  admired  ;  I 
wanted  to  hear  him  praised  ;  I  wished  to  walk  the 
streets  with  him,  and  go  to  church  with  him,  and 
make  calls  with  him  ;  for  I  knew  that  he  would  be 
glad  to  have  me  with  him  almost  everywhere.  The 
time  for  his  arrival  was  but  three  days  distant,  and 
preparations  were  making  for  his  reception,  when  a 
telegraphic  message  was  handed  to  me,  directed  to 
my  mother,  and  I  was  told  to  read  it  before  giving 
it  to  her.  The  substance  of  this  message  is  given 
in  the  following  extract :  — 

"Maj.  James  Monroe,  while  gallantly  leading 
his  battalion  in  a  charge  upon  the  enemy  on  the 
15th  instant,  was,  it  is  feared,  mortally  wounded  by 
a  ball  entering  his  left  side  and  passing  through  the 
region  of  the  liver.  He  is  not  in  great  pain,  and  is 
entirely  conscious." 

I  broke  this  sad  news  as  gently  as  possible  to  our 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  185 

mother  and  sister,  and  to  Miss  Parsons,  who  was 
visiting  my  mother  when  the  sorrowful  message 
arrived.  Miss  Parsons  and  I  started  for  the  South 
on  the  first  train,  with  the  hope  of  seeing  my 
brother  before  his  spirit  should  pass  away  ;  but  we 
arrived  about  six  hours  after  the  dissolution.  My 
mother  never  fully  recovered  from  the  shock  caused 
by  my  brother's  death,  and  about  two  years  since 
she  followed  my  brother  and  sister  to  that  land 
beyond  the  river. 

My  brother,  as  I  have  said,  had  been  granted  a 
leave  of  absence  to  visit  his  home.  The  day  before 
his  intended  departure  the  lines  were  attacked  by 
Gen.  Longstreet's  soldiers,  and  he  asked  the  privi- 
lege of  leading  his  battalion  against  them.  It  was 
granted.  He  drove  the  enemy  back,  but  received 
his  death-wound.  Soon  after  my  brother's  death, 
Atlanta,  Georgia,  was  taken  by  Gen.  Sherman,  who 
was  now  in  chief  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland. I  wrote  to  an  officer,  giving  him  the  ad- 
dress of  Col.  Graves,  and  asked  him  to  call  and  make 
inquiries  about  Annie  Belle.  He  did  so,  but  Col. 
Graves  and  family  had  gone  further  south,  he 
could  not  learn  where.     I  entered  the  army  again 


186  THE   LITTLE   BUGLER. 

in  the  winter  of  1865,  and  was  with  Gen.  Sherman 
at  Kaleigh,  North  Carolina,  when  Gen.  Johnston 
snrrendered.  I  was  also  at  the  grand  review  at 
Washington,  which  followed  the  close  of  the  war. 
I  completed  my  preparation  for  college,  and 
entered  in  the  autumn  of  1868.  Up  to  the  close 
of  the  war  I  had  heard  nothing  from  Annie  Belle. 
As  soon  as  peace  was  declared  between  the  North 
and  South,  I  renewed  my  efforts  to  learn  some- 
thing about  her.  I  wrote  to  Emma  Phillips,  asking 
if  the  family  had  returned  to  <' Chestnut  Hill." 
She  answered  that  the  family  were  still  South, — 
where,  she  could  not  find  out.  The  serireant  had 
been  dead  more  than  a  year,  and  the  **  Chestnut 
Hill  "  mansion  was  closed  up.  About  three  months 
after  this  I  received  another,  saying  that  "  *  Chest- 
nut Hill '  is  being  cleansed  and  repaired,  and  it  is 
reported  that  Col.  Graves's  family  are  soon  to 
occupy  it  again."  I  wrote  again  to  Emma,  asking 
her  to  let  me  know  at  once  when  the  family  should 
return.     In  a  few  weeks  I  received  the  following: 

Dear  Sir:  Col.  Graves's  family  have  returned  to 
"  Chestnut  Hill,"  and  are  to  occupy  it,  I  understand,  as 
their  future  home.     Mrs.  Graves,  Mrs.  Lee  and  daughter, 


THE   LITTLE   BUGLER.  187 

and  Capt.  Graves  and  wife,  constitute  the  family.  Col. 
Graves  died  during  their  residence  in  the  South,  and  the 
other  son  was  killed  in  the  war. 

As  ever,  your  friend, 

Emma  Phillips. 
P.  S.  —  In  your  next,  please  address  me  as  Mrs.  Fred. 
Austin.  E.  P. 

On  receipt  of  this  I  determined  to  visit  *'  Chest- 
nut Hill"  lit  once.  I  had  become  thoroughly  dis- 
heartened in  my  efforts  to  get  a  letter  from  Annie 
Belle,  and  I  now  resolved  to  trust  no  longer  to  the 
United  States  mails,  but  to  go  in  person  and  learn 
my  fate.  On  arriving  at  Louisville,  I  took  a 
steamer  down  the  river  to  Graves's  Landing,  and 
reached  old  Camp  Buell  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  What  was  once  Camp  Buell  was  now 
covered  with  flax  and  wheat,  and  tobacco  and  grass. 
It  was  all  fenced  in,  and  there  were  few  traces  left  of 
the  army.  I  went  first  to  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Phillips,  which  was  near  the  landing.  I  was  very 
cordially  received  by  all  the  family,  especially  Mrs. 
Austin,  who  was  a  very  pretty  and  happy  bride.  I 
did  not  meet  Mr.  Austin  during  my  stay.  Miss 
Sadie  Woods  came  in,  and  I  was  made  to  under- 
stand that  she  was   soon  to  become  Mrs.  Phillips. 


188  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

After  supper  I  was  carried  over  to  ''Chestnut 
Hill."  It  was  in  the  month  of  June  Nature  was 
in  her  merriest  and  prettiest  mood.  The  fields 
laughed  with  their  golden  harvests ;  the  birds 
twittered  among  the  leafy  trees  ;  the  air  was  balmy 
and  fragrant  with  the  sweet  clover  and  the  honey- 
suckle. But  suddenly  this  quiet  serenity  of  the 
evening  twilight  was  broken  by  a  sound  which 
seemed  to  come  from  a  ''  spirit  maledict  in  regions 
dolent."  This  mournful  wail  gave  positive  evi- 
dence to  me  that  the  donkey  was  still  among  the 
living  creatures  of  earth.  It  made  me  sad.  I  felt 
that  it  was  prophetic  of  anything  but  a  happy 
termination  of  my  visit.  As  I  approached  the 
house  I  saw  a  lady  and  gentleman  sitting  upon  the 
piazza,  and  as  I  drew  nearer  I  recognized  Miss  Lee 
and  Capt.  Graves.  They  did  not  know  me  until  I 
had  spoken  and  presented  my  card.  Miss  Lee 
could  not  speak  for  a  moment,  and  her  first  words 
were,  *'  She  must  not  see  him;  it  would  drive  her 
mad."  She  then  asked  me  to  come  quickly  with 
her  into  the  library.  She  burst  out  crying,  and 
said,  *'  O  !  George,  forgive  the  strange  reception  I 
have  given  you  ;    but  your  appearance  at  this  time 


THE   LITTLE   BUGLER.  189 

is  most  traoric."  She  then  told  me  that  Annie  Belle 
had  been  married  about  one  month ;  that  she  had 
written  letter  after  letter  to  me,  and  received  no 
reply  ;  but  still  she  remained  true  to  me,  and  a 
day  did  not  pass  without  her  speaking  of  me,  and 
wondering  if  I  were  dead,  or  was  living  and  had  for- 
gotten her.  Years  passed.  Her  hand  was  sought 
by  a  young  gentleman  of  New  Orleans.  She  told 
him  frankly  that  she  could  never  love  him  as  she 
had  loved  another.  He  pressed  his  suit,  and  her 
mother  urged  her  to  accept  him.  The  war  had  left 
them  quite  poor,  and  this  young  gentleman  was 
rich.  Still  she  had  deferred  the  wedding-day,  time 
after  time,  in  the  hope  of  hearing  from  me.  They 
all  finally  concluded  that  I  was  either  dead  or  had 
forgotten  Annie  Belle  ;  so  the  wedding  took  place, 
and  she  and  her  husband  were  now  visiting  **  Chest- 
nut Hill."  They  had  gone  out  riding  after  supper, 
and  were  expected  back  every  moment.  I  listened 
to  all  this  in  a  half-conscious  state,  and  when  she 
had  ceased  speaking,  I  could  say  nothing  but  re- 
peat the  name  of  Annie  Belle.  Mrs.  Capt.  Graves 
'^Miss  Lee)  continued,  **If  she  were  to  see  you 
here,   I  am  sure  she  would  go  mad."     I  assured 


190  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

her  that  my  only  thought  was  for  Annie  Belle's 
happiness,  and  that  I  would  do  whatever  she 
(Mrs.  Graves)  would  suggest.  Still,  I  desired  one 
last  look  at  my  lost  Annie  Belle,  if  this  could  be 
had  without  fear  of  her  seeing  me,  or  knowing  of 
ray  presence.  Capt.  Graves,  who  was  present,  said 
he  thought  it  could  be  contrived  in  some  way  for  me 
to  see  Annie  Belle  without  her  knowing  about  it. 
It  was  arranged  that  I  was  to  occupy  a  chamber 
opening  upon  the  piazza.  Mrs.  Capt.  Graves  would 
walk  with  Annie  Belle,  and  sit  near  my  window, 
where  I  could  have  a  fair  view  of  her  and  still  she 
could  not  see  me.  I  took  my  station  at  the 
window.  Soon  after,  the  riding  party  had  re- 
turned ;  I  heard  them  approaching,  and  recognized 
the  voice  of  Annie  Belle  before  I  saw  her  face.  It 
was  the  same  sweet  voice,  but  there  was  a  tone  of 
deep  sadness  which  I  had  not  known  in  days  gone 
by.  I  will  give  some  of  the  conversation  which  I 
overheard:  *'Aunt  Josie,  why  are  you  so  sad  to- 
night? There  is  something  really  strange  about  your 
eyes,  that  I  cannot  understand.  You  are  not  ill, 
dearest  auntie,  are  you?  You  look  at  me  with  such 
an  earnest,  I  had  almost  said  such  an  eager  look. 


THE   LITTLE   BUGLER.  191 

I  dreamed  of  George  last  night, — the  same  sad 
dream  which  I  had  the  hist  night  he  slept  here 
before  his  return  to  the  camp.  Wouldn't  it  be 
awful  if  I  should  hear  from  him,  after  all?  for  I  can- 
not believe  but  that  if  he  is  alive  he  still  loves  me." 
**  But,  my  dear,"  said  her  aunt,  **  you  are  married 
now,  and  have  a  kind  and  loving  husband,  and  ought 
not  to  think  any  more  of  George.  We  all  loved 
him,  you  know,  and  I  am  sure  that  he  loved  you 
truly ;  but  you  must  now  think  only  of  your 
husband's  love,  and  let  the  memories  of  the  past 
fade  away  with  the  dark  clouds  of  war."  <'  But  we 
did  love  each  other  so  truly,"  said  Annie  Belle; 
**  and  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  forget  or  cease  to 
love  the  brave  little  soldier-boy  who  wooed  me  so 
gallantly  and  so  tenderly.  O,  my  little  soldier-boy  I 
Annie  Belle  can  never  fors^et  vou,  nor  cease  to  love 
you  I  "  **  It  was  my  hope,"  said  her  aunt,  **  that 
you  and  the  *  little  bugler  '  should  grow  up  and  be 
united  in  holy  marriage  ;  but  Providence,  or  what- 
ever we  may  call  it,  has  ordered  otherwise,  and  it 
is  for  you  to  submit  to  the  inevitable."  At  this 
point  they  arose  and  passed  out  of  sight  and  hear- 
ing, and  I  never  saw  Annie  Belle  again.     I  stayed 


192  THE    LITTLE    BUGLER. 

overnight  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Phillips,  and 
started  for  home  on  the  following  morning.  My 
visit  was  to  remain  a  secret  to  every  one  at  "  Chest- 
nut Hill  "  save  those  who  had  seen  me.  I  returned 
home  sick  at  heart,  and  was  confined  to  my  bed  with 
a  brain  fever  for  some  weeks.  Annie  Belle  went 
with  her  husband  and  mother  to  New  Orleans  to  re- 
side. In  1878  I  received  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Capt. 
Graves,  bearing  the  sad  news  of  Annie  Belle's  death. 
I  could  not  have  published  this  simple  story  during 
her  life.  She  would  have  recognized  it  at  once, 
although  the  characters  all  appear  under  different 
names. 

I  know  that  any  of  my  Southern  friends  into 
whose  hands  this  little  book  may  chance  to  fall,  will 
not  think  unkindly  of  the  mention  I  have  made  of 
them.  I  believe  that,  so  far  as  I  have  drawn  the 
picture  of  Southern  society,  it  has  been  by  no 
means  unfavorable  to  the  Southern  people.  It  is 
also  a  true  picture.  For  frankness,  for  heartiness, 
and  for  kindly  generosity,  the  Southern  people  are 
not  excelled  by  any  other  section  of  our  Union. 
Lying,  slander,  and  low,  mean  cunning  are  not 
the   prevailing    sins    of  the    South.     In    fact,    the 


THE    LITTLE    BUGLER.  193 

Southern  people  are  peculiarly  free  from  these  vices  ; 
their  sins,  whatever  they  may  be,  are  of  a  different 
and  more  open  character. 

And  now  the  story  of  the  '*  Little  Bugler"  is 
ended.  It  is  substantially  a  true  narrative.  There 
are  no  plots  invented,  and  no  fictitious  characters 
introduced.  It  has  given  the  real  experience  in 
war  and  love,  of  a  boy,  who  now  as  a  man  gives 
his  most  hearty  assent  to  the  following  lines  of  the 
poet :  — 

"  'Tis  better  to  have  loved  and  lost, 
Than  never  to  have  loved  at  all." 


THE   END. 


13 


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RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 

Wilmer 
939 


